


On the Misty Shore

by Azuregold



Series: Mistyverse [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dimension Travel, Gen, Ghosts, Not as AU as it appears, Past Character Death, Reincarnation, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 21:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1617497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuregold/pseuds/Azuregold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The doctors thought he'd come to get better. Luffy thought he'd come for adventure. And when he hears the legend of a ghostly pirate ship that haunts the waters near his new home, he thinks he might just have found it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Prologue**

Most people visiting the island would have thought it perfectly ordinary. It had many features one might find on an island – fields, forests, sandy beaches, and a reasonably wide array of plant and animal life. There was a town on the northwestern shore, spreading out right to the edge of the sparkling water. Someone examining the island objectively might have thought that its most unique feature was the small range of peaks in the northeast; baby mountains reaching eagerly for the sky.

If this observer had allowed their attention to drift to the southwest, past the town and fields and forests, they would come to an elegant mansion standing proudly on its own little corner of the island, surrounded by trees and lush gardens. And just a little farther south, they would find a bay. It was not an especially large bay, but quite beautiful, the rich turquoise of the water blending with the soft white-gold of the sandy shore.

Sunlight glittered over most of the water, turning the blue-green waves to ribbons of shining jewels. Here and there, strands of mist could be seen, growing thicker around a spot some distance from the shore. If our observer were to come closer and look at the patch of mist just right, they might make out a murky shape. And if they were able to get closer still, they might see that the shape belonged to a ship of moderate size, bobbing gently in the water.

The ship's sails were furled. There was no wind. The only sounds were the waves brushing against the ship's sides and the creak of wood and rigging. The ship appeared deserted at first glance, but closer inspection revealed the figure of a man sitting propped against the rail. There was no movement; the man might have been sleeping, or dead.

Then something shifted in the air. A breeze danced along the water, stirring the limp flags hanging from the masts. The man lifted his head, staring toward the island. Slowly, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards.

"Well, what do you know," he said. "About time you showed up, idiot."

 

**Chapter 1 - Arrival**

Luffy stared out the window of the car as it drove away from the small airport. Everything was so bright! The town he'd grown up in had been predominated by grays and browns and occasional dark greens. This place…this place was a rainbow! He could see the lush green of plants, the soft sandy tan of the beaches, scattered pockets of vibrant color from flowers and fruit and clothing…and blue. Blue was everywhere. The bright clear blue of the sky, and the deep blue-green of the sea. Luffy pressed his nose to the window, trying to catch a whiff of salty air through the glass. His hand stealthily reached for the window control; if he could just open it quickly enough—

"Luffy!"

Luffy jumped guiltily and snatched his hand back from the window. "Come on, Nami, just a little bit, please—"

" _No._ " His nurse shot him a glare as she twisted in her seat to look back at him. "You'll have plenty of time to feel the breeze or taste the air or whatever you were trying to do once you're settled in. I'm not having you getting sick on your first day. You're weak enough as it is!"

Luffy sat back with a frustrated sigh. _Weak._ For as long as he could remember, that's what he'd been. Who he'd been – to everyone. Oh, they didn't usually say it to his face (Nami was special that way), but he could hear it in their thoughts, see the pity in their eyes when they spoke to him. The boy's face darkened into a scowl. Some of them hadn't even expected him to make it this far, he knew; they'd thought his fragile health would succumb to one of the many illnesses that had plagued him throughout his life. Well, he _had_ made it. He was seventeen now, and as far as he was concerned, his adventure was just beginning.

_Adventure_. Luffy's sullen expression softened and slipped away as he remembered why he'd come to this place. The doctors said the island's climate would be good for him, but Luffy had a more important reason. After all, one couldn't become an adventurer and see the world if one spent one's entire life in the same house. This place, this island, was the first step. Here, he would see new things – not in a book this time, but for real. Here, he would meet new people, maybe even find friends. Here, Luffy would get stronger. A grin grew on the boy's face as he turned to look out the window again. Surely, this island would have some kind of grand adventure waiting for him!

He continued to look around him as they left the town behind. The road curved and wound its way into a patch of woods, the trees different from those he had known back home. He could see strange plants and beautiful flowers in the undergrowth, and felt another shiver of excitement. _Soon…_

The car slowed, and Luffy looked ahead to see that they were approaching a large white gate. It looked elegant but sturdy; this wasn't something that would easily be broken through or climbed over. The driver tapped a code into a device above the car's dashboard, and the gate smoothly swung open with hardly a creak. Luffy leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the house. The driveway was as long as the gate was big, however, and it was several minutes before he at last spotted the shape of a building through the trees.

Luffy had lived in mansions all his life, but there was something different about this one. It was missing the air of imposing superiority that had clung to his parents' estate back home. It was large, probably three or four stories, with a slate grey roof and walls of a pretty, pale color that had probably been pure white when new. It seemed old, but had been well-cared for, and Luffy looked with interest at the decorative carvings that accented the entrance and windows. Most were unobtrusive shapes – waves and curls and vines and the like – but here and there he spotted something more unusual. As they got out of the car and approached, Luffy found a carved lion's head looking down at him from above the front doors. _It looks friendly,_ he decided after a moment's study. _The mane kind of makes me think of a sunflower._

The inside was cool and welcoming, and Luffy stared eagerly around the halls and rooms as they passed through. He had intended to immediately set out to explore the mansion and grounds, but excited as he was, the long trip had affected his frail body heavily. Against his protests, Luffy promptly found himself bundled into bed by Nami. He stared at the soft blue walls and white curtains of his room, determined to stay awake as long as possible in rebellion, but his eyes soon grew heavy, and in minutes, soft snores echoed gently through the room.


	2. The Ghost Ship

Luffy drifted slowly back to consciousness, fighting off the pull of sleep. He had been having an interesting dream; it had been something to do with ships and the sea. What had woken him? A muffled thump drew his attention to the door to his room; it was slowly opening, and he could hear whispers and shuffling footsteps coming from the other side. Luffy watched with interest. It couldn't be Nami – she usually just barged in, and if she _had_ been trying to be sneaky, he'd never have heard a thing. And even if Brook had arrived by now, he surely wouldn't be creeping around like that – when the cheerful musician entered a room, you usually found out about it very quickly.

The door creaked open a little further, and a long nose poked around the corner, followed by a pair of eyes. The eyes moved back and forth, quickly taking in the room before homing in on the bed, then flicking up to its occupant. As the eyes met Luffy's now very wide-awake ones, the intruder gave a small yelp and disappeared from sight, followed shortly by twin thuds of bodies hitting the floor.

" _Ouch!_ " hissed a quiet voice.

"Sorry!" came the whispered reply. "You didn't warn me you were going to jump back like that!"

"I told you to stay back until I gave the all clear! I didn't expect him to be awake!"

"He's awake?" squeaked the second voice.

"Hey, you guys," Luffy said. "You know I can hear you, right? Just come in already."

A heartbeat of silence, then two boys shuffled guiltily into the room. The long-nosed boy appeared close to Luffy's age, with a mess of curly black hair. The other had a mop of fluffy brown hair and looked a few years younger. They stood close together, gazes darting up to Luffy before dropping down to the floor.

Luffy grinned. "Hi, I'm Luffy!" he said. "I just moved in today."

"Y-yeah, we know," the older boy said. "Everyone's been in an uproar all week getting everything ready for you."

"Really?" Luffy said excitedly. "I can't wait to see it all! What's this place like?"

The boys seemed to be relaxing; clearly Luffy's cheerfulness was catching. "There's all kinds of stuff! Lots of rooms to play hide-and-seek in, secret passages, a big library with all kinds of books— " The black-haired boy was building up steam as he went; it took over a minute to list what he considered the most important aspects of the house, and he was about to move on to the grounds when the smaller boy tugged at his sleeve and spoke up.

"U-um, shouldn't we introduce ourselves? It's probably kind of weird for him, having us in his room when he doesn't even know our names…"

The long-nosed boy rubbed at the back of his head. "Ah…right! Sorry, Luffy-sama!"

Luffy frowned. "You don't need to call me that," he said. "Just Luffy is fine."

"…Right," the boy said, starting to smile a little. "A-anyway, my name's Usopp. I know everything about this estate. My dad does all the carpentry and repairs and tends the grounds, but the truth is, this place would fall to pieces if I weren't here to run things!" He had stepped closer to the bed as he spoke, and the last few words were said in a confidential tone that implied Luffy was being entrusted with a great secret.

"Yes, yes," the younger boy said, pushing Usopp to the side and approaching the bed himself. "You shouldn't believe everything Usopp tells you…though it's true he does know lots about the island and the mansion and stuff. U-um, I'm Tony. My grandma runs a pharmacy in the village. I'm going to be a doctor someday!"

"That's awesome!" Luffy said. "I bet you'll be great! Maybe you'll help me get better, too!" Tony blushed and squirmed, mumbling. He seemed pleased by the compliment, though Luffy felt sure he'd heard an insult somewhere among the muttered words. Luffy stared for a second, then broke into a soft chuckle.

"A-are you…very sick?" Usopp asked.

Luffy shrugged. "I guess. I get tired a lot, and I've been ill on and off ever since I was a baby. They don't let me outside much, either." His gaze hardened. "But that's gonna change. I'm going to get stronger, and someday, I'll go and see the world. Every bit of it."

"All right!" Usopp cried out, startling Luffy from his thoughts. "I, the great Usopp, will assist you in this goal! With me to help you, you can't possibly fail!"

"I'll help you too, Luffy!" Tony leaned forward onto the bed. "I'll become the best doctor in the world and make you stronger than anyone, I promise!"

Luffy's answering grin was the biggest he'd ever given. "Good! That's settled, then. Come on, Usopp, tell me more about this island. Do you have adventures here? Is there lots of cool stuff to explore?"

Usopp smiled broadly. "Of course there is! This is the best place in the _world_ for adventures!"

The two boys settled themselves at the foot of Luffy's bed, and regaled him with stories of life on the island. Swimming, fishing, hiking through forests and into caves hidden behind waterfalls – each new tale sent his excitement soaring to new heights, and Luffy couldn't wait to see it all for himself.

"—and then, of course, there are all the local legends!" Usopp said, after at least an hour of adventuring exploits.

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Legends?"

"Yeah! This place is swarming with them! There's a spring up on the mountain that's supposed to flow with wine instead of water at midnight once a month. But which night it is changes every time, so it's hard to catch. And if you stand on the north shore of the island after a storm, you can hear a woman's voice."

"It's supposed to tell you the future," Tony said, "but no one can understand the words."

"Even this estate has a few wonders of its own!" Usopp declared proudly.

"It does?" Luffy leaned forward. "What are they? Tell me!"

"Well," Usopp said, "there's the garden. It's full of pixies."

"Usopp—" began Tony.

"It is! And if you don't put out milk for them, they start stealing the vegetables!"

"But the maid's cats drink the milk! I've seen them doing it."

"O-obviously those were the pixies in disguise!"

"Are you sure?"

"I know what I'm talking about, Tony!"

Luffy looked eagerly at the two boys. "What else is there?"

"The forest," Usopp said seriously. "There are unicorns in it."

"Really? Real unicorns?"

"Absolutely! Tony here almost got gored by one a couple years back. If I hadn't been with him, he'd have been killed for sure!"

"All I saw was a tree branch," Tony said doubtfully, "And I hit a rock when you pushed me out of the way! My head was sore for weeks."

"Hah! You were clearly too busy staring at the branch to see the unicorn! It was really fast, you know!"

Luffy watched the exchange with amusement. Tony was probably right, but Usopp's version was much more exciting, and Luffy decided to believe, at least until he found out for himself.

Meanwhile, Usopp had let the subject of unicorns drop, and moved on to the next item of interest. "There's a staircase, third floor in the left wing, which always creaks horribly unless you walk it backwards."

"I thought your dad fixed that."

"Well," Usopp said, "he _tried…_ " Luffy decided he'd have to test it out as soon as he was allowed out of his room.

"And then," Usopp said with the air of a showman gearing up for his big finale, "there's the ghost ship."

"Ghost ship?" Luffy asked, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"That one's real," Tony said quietly. "I saw it once, too."

"The bay at the south end of the mansion grounds is haunted," Usopp explained. "On misty nights, you can sometimes see the outline of a ship in the water. If you keep looking straight at it you can see a bit more, sometimes, but if you close your eyes or look away, it'll disappear in an instant!"

"So cool…" Luffy said. "What kind of ship is it?"

"No one knows for sure," Tony said, "but Usopp thinks it's a pirate ship."

"Really? Awesome! Why do you think it's a pirate ship, Usopp?"

"Because once, when I was really little, I saw the ship, and heard someone on board singing. It…sounded like a pirate song."

"You _heard_ someone?"

"Yeah, I really did! I'd never lie about something as important as a ghost."

"And this ship, it only comes out at night?" Luffy asked.

" _Misty_ nights," Usopp corrected. "Well, sometimes days, too, but mostly nights. It's _always_ misty, though. I think it probably doesn't want to be spotted by just anyone." The boy puffed up his chest proudly. "Clearly, it knows the great Usopp is worthy of learning its secrets!"

Luffy could hardly believe his luck. He'd been on the island for only a few hours, and already he had a solid lead to what was sure to be an exciting adventure. In his own backyard, no less! "Right!" he said firmly. "I'm going to find the ship, get on board, and meet this mystery voice!"

"But Luffy," Tony said, "…it's a _ghost_ ship. There might not be anything solid for you to get aboard _on_."

"And it doesn't let everyone see it," Usopp added. "I-I mean, not that it _wouldn't_ show itself to you," he corrected himself hastily. "You're such a great guy, who wouldn't want to meet you? I'm sure it will! Definitely!"

Luffy laughed. Of course he would see the ship. He had a talent for getting people to like him; this mystery voice would be no exception. He opened his mouth to ask Usopp another question about the ship, but sharp footsteps suddenly sounded from the hall, and a moment later, the not-quite-closed door was flung open.

"What _exactly,_ " Nami growled, in a voice that promised doom to the unlucky souls who had provoked her wrath, "is going on here?"

Usopp gulped and started shaking; Tony fell right onto the floor, and tried to hide behind the bedpost, though it wasn't very effective as most of him was still sticking out. Luffy started to shrink back into the bed, then gathered his courage and sat up straighter. "My friends and I were talking," he said, staring at the nurse with a defiant frown. "They were telling me about the island."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later!" Nami snapped. "You only slept for a couple of hours; you need your rest after that long trip!" She swung around to glare at Luffy's visitors. "You two," she hissed. " _Out_. And don't let me catch you in here again without permission!"

Not needing any further encouragement, the boys scrambled to their feet and raced for the door. "See you later, Luffy!" called Usopp as he disappeared from sight.

Luffy gave a frustrated sigh as he leaned back into his pillows. "They weren't hurting me," he mumbled. "It was fun."

Nami's expression softened a little as she moved to a desk and began preparing the boy's medicine. "I know you want to have fun and play like everyone else, Luffy. And we're all going to do our best to make that happen for you here. But you have to take it slowly. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

"I know," Luffy said, shoulders slumping in resignation. "I'll be careful." He took the medicine from Nami and swallowed it quickly. "You can go," he said, already beginning to feel sleepy again. "I'll rest. Promise."

"You'd better!" Nami said sternly, then smiled. "You'll have your chance, Luffy." She leaned forward and poked his nose with a finger. "And remember, if you find any treasure, you have to tell me first." Nami filled Luffy's water glass, then headed for the door. "I'll be nearby if you need me," she said. "Sweet dreams." And then Luffy was alone again, eyes already sliding shut.


	3. First Taste

The first rays of morning sun glinted off the windows of the elegant mansion, their fiery sheen only slightly dampened by the mist drifting across the grounds. A few snatches of birdsong echoed through the air, but the rest of the estate stood still and quiet, as if all the life within was holding its collective breath. And suddenly, with a slight click, the near-silence was broken as a door eased open, and a dark-haired boy stepped cautiously out of the house.

Luffy looked all around him; then, seeing no one, quietly shut the door and moved out into the grounds. A glass bottle clutched firmly in his hand, he crept along the path, stopping at last in front of a delicate wrought-iron gate. He pushed it open, gritting his teeth against the expected squeal of metal – but the gate moved smoothly on well-oiled hinges, and Luffy entered the garden without a sound.

_There are so many plants,_ he thought as he moved along the path. _We didn't have half these flowers back home._ He smiled and held the bottle closer. _Maybe Usopp's right after all. If I were a pixie, I'd definitely want to live in a place like this._

After taking a few detours to look at all the interesting flowers and trees along the way, Luffy eventually found the vegetable garden. Under a tree just inside the entrance, Luffy found a shallow stone basin. _Perfect._ He removed the top from the bottle, and carefully poured the milk in. "Hey! Pixies!" he called. "I brought milk! You like it, right? Come on out!" He stepped back and waited.

Nothing stirred. The garden continued to look perfectly ordinary, and it wasn't long before Luffy was growing restless. He decided to search for the pixies himself; perhaps they were hiding in the vegetables, and wanted to play. Setting off through the neatly tended plants, he began to look, checking under leaves and behind fat melons and squash.

After nearly half an hour of fruitless searching, Luffy, munching an apple he'd picked from a tree along the way, was beginning to feel quite tired. _I guess you can't expect to get to the bottom of every mystery on your first try,_ he told himself, _but still. They could've let me see_ something. He turned to head back, and found himself facing a crossroads of paths, any one of which could be the one he'd taken to get in. _Aaah, why does this garden have to be so big? Well, guess I just pick one. They all have to lead to the exit eventually, right?_ He noticed his legs trembling slightly as he stepped forward, and frowned a little. _Hold it together, body. I gotta make it back to the mansion and get inside before Nami comes to check on me!_

Picking a path at random, he was just stepping towards it when two things happened that halted him in his tracks. A sudden breeze sprang up, pushing him to the left and away from his chosen path. At the same time, Luffy felt a tug somewhere in his chest. He whipped around. The pull was stronger from that direction, and as he stared into the distance, he could make out the shoreline of the bay, shrouded in mist. Luffy took a few hesitant steps forward. Whatever was pulling him was definitely this way. _What is it?_ he tried to say, but the words caught in his throat and wouldn't come. _Are you…?_

The breeze ruffled his hair, and Luffy felt moisture on his cheeks. _I'm…crying,_ he thought. _Why…?_ He began to move faster, something telling him that he had to follow the pull, needed to see who was reaching out. It was important. He didn't know why, but getting to that water was suddenly more important than anything he'd ever done in his life. _I'm coming,_ he thought, still unable to speak the words aloud. _I'll be there soon. Just…_ A wave of dizziness hit him, and Luffy stumbled and nearly fell. _No!_ He took a few swaying steps towards the bay. _I have to get there…have to…reach…_

But it was no good. His vision was blurring, the darkness creeping in, and on his next step, he found his legs suddenly wouldn't support him anymore. He toppled forward, but just before he hit the ground, strong arms caught him from behind. "Hey, you okay, little bro? What are you doing out of the house?" The voice sounded far away, and though Luffy tried to answer, he couldn't manage more than an incoherent mumble before the darkness took him.

* * *

 _He was dreaming again. Definitely a ship; he could feel the gentle rocking of the waves, smell the salty air. Looking around, he saw he was surrounded by people._ My friends, _he thought._ My…family. _He couldn't see their faces clearly, but there was a girl with orange hair who reminded him strangely of a younger Nami, and…was that_ Usopp _? He looked a little older, but…_ Maybe I'm seeing the future, _he thought. It seemed to be very noisy. Talk and laughter echoed throughout the dream ship, and when Luffy glanced down, he saw food – a feast beyond his wildest imagination, stretching across the entirety of the long table they were all seated at. He reached for a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth. His eyes went wide. It was the most delicious thing he could ever remember eating, and Luffy abruptly realized he was ravenous. He grabbed at everything within reach – and somehow, his arms were long enough to reach all the way to the ends of the table without moving from his seat._ Well, it _is_ a dream, I suppose. Can't expect everything to make sense. _Luffy ate. And ate. He was eating more than he'd ever eaten in his life – more than he'd eat in a_ month _, and everything was just as delicious as that first heavenly bite._

_"Hey, Luffy, slow down a little! The rest of us would like to eat too, you know!"_

_"But it's good!" Luffy protested, his full mouth making the words almost unintelligible. He reached towards a particularly juicy piece of meat on the orange-haired girl's plate. The next thing he knew, a heavy black shoe had come flying out of nowhere and kicked his hand away._

_"Keep the hell away from Nami-san's plate, shitty captain!" An angry voice assaulted his ears, no doubt belonging to the owner of the shoe. Luffy opened his mouth to whine at the man, but with no warning, a piercing pain shot through his head, and the room and the ship faded out._

* * *

Luffy opened his eyes with a gasp, but squeezed them shut again almost immediately as bright light hit his eyes. The sharp pain in his head was still there – worse, if anything, than it had been in the dream. His breath had a raspy quality to it, and as he moved, he could feel his sheets were damp with sweat. _What…happened? Where…was I…_ memory returned with a jolt. _The garden!_ His eyes flew open. _The water! Something was…pulling…calling to me!_ He struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain is his head. _I…fell. The darkness...I…didn't make it, did I?_ A strange wave of sadness swept over him at the realization.

"Luffy!" He jumped and turned towards the voice, then winced as the sudden movement sent a fresh wave of pain pounding through his head. Nami stood in the doorway, frozen with surprise. A moment later, she was moving again, and Luffy cringed as she towered over him with thunder on her face. "About time you woke up, you idiot! Do you have any idea how worried we've all been? What were you _thinking_ , sneaking off like that? Were you _trying_ to give me a heart attack? When you weren't in your room…we looked everywhere…and then Franky was carrying you back to the house, and you were…"

She paused for breath, and Luffy realized that there were tears in her eyes. "You were so still, Luffy, so pale…for a minute, I thought you were…"

Luffy gulped, guilt washing over him as he realized just how much he'd worried her. Nami might act tough, but at the end of the day, she really cared. Seeing him like that…it had to have hurt. He dropped his eyes to the bedcovers. "Sorry," he mumbled. His voice sounded hoarse, and his throat was dry and raw, as if he'd been screaming for hours, maybe days.

"I'm sorry, Nami. I didn't mean to…I just wanted…" He trailed off. What could he say? The pixies would sound like a feeble excuse to her, and the strange pull…he wasn't sure he _could_ talk about that, to anyone. It had had something to do with his collapse, he knew. Weak as he was, he didn't go from being a little tired and shaky to passing out in seconds. The wave of sheer emotion that had flooded him as he moved towards the bay had overloaded his brain somehow. _Is that why my head hurts so bad?_

"I know what you wanted, Luffy, but you promised me you would be careful! If you keep running off and doing stupid things like this, you'll never get well enough to go on the kinds of adventures you keep talking about!" She turned away abruptly and strode to the desk.

"Sorry," Luffy repeated. He risked a cautious glance at the nurse. Nami had her back to him, and the thumps and bangs coming from the desk indicated she was preparing the medicine with rather more force than was necessary. "How…how long was I out?" he asked at last.

Nami stiffened. "Over three days. You had a terrible fever. We could barely rouse you enough to get some water into you."

Luffy stayed silent as Nami finished with the medicine and brought it over to him. After he'd taken it, followed by some water (for which his throat was very thankful), she told him to stay in bed if he valued his life, and that she would be back with lunch in a bit. "Not hungry," Luffy muttered. And it was true – between his aching body and the memory of just how _much_ he'd eaten in the dream, lunch was the last thing he wanted just then. His stomach rolled uneasily at the very thought of food.

Nami frowned. "You need to eat, Luffy. Your body has been deprived enough as it is, after the last few days. Don't worry; I'll make sure it's something light and simple." She walked out, and Luffy let her go without argument. He'd just have to try his best to eat and keep it down; there was no way she'd back off on this after everything he'd put her through.

He felt worse, if anything, by the time Nami returned, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup. Despite his resolve to try, he felt sure whatever he ate wouldn't stay put for long. As she helped him sit up, he debated whether it was worth it to argue with her after all. He opened his mouth to speak – and the scent of the soup reached his nose and drove all thoughts of nausea out of his head. _This smell…_

Luffy's stomach gave a loud gurgle as Nami settled the tray in his lap, and he quickly picked up the spoon and took an experimental sip. The flavor was unique and better than anything he'd ever had in his life. _Except for the dream,_ he realized suddenly. The soup had the same feel, the same deliciousness, as the food in his dream feast. _Did the smell reach all the way up here from the kitchens while I was asleep?_ he wondered. But there would be time to think about that later.

The spoon dipped into the soup again, faster and faster as though the food would disappear if he took too long to finish. With every taste, Luffy felt a little better. A warm, comforting feeling was spreading through him, washing away the aches and lessening the pain in his head.

"Whoa, slow down, Luffy, there's no need to rush! I promise it's not going anywhere." Nami stifled a giggle as she looked at him. "It's good, isn't it? We had a new chef start yesterday."

Luffy looked up from the bowl. "A new chef?"

"Yes. The cook that was here when we arrived was only filling in until we could get someone more permanent to replace her, and this guy was hired just a few days ago. They say he can work magic with food, and from what I've seen, it's true." A spark of irritation lit in her eyes. "And the kitchen is the _only_ place he'll be working 'magic', if he knows what's good for him."

Luffy blinked at her. "What do you mean? Did he try to cook in another room? Did something catch fire?"

"Of course not!" Nami's voice had risen noticeably in volume. "He's just – he's a little too fond of – oh, never mind." She waved a hand. "It's not important."

Luffy stared at her, seeing the rising color in her face, and something clicked. _Oh._ Well, if this new cook tried something with Nami, he'd better do it right, or Luffy would kick his ass, even if his soup was good. She might be strict and bossy – and charge more for her services than anyone else in the business – but Nami was _his_ nurse, and Luffy wanted her to be happy.


	4. Friends

After a bath and a change of sheets, Luffy fell asleep again. He woke some hours later, cool evening air wafting into the room from an open window. He lay still for a while, completely relaxed. His headache was almost non-existent now, and the covers felt smooth and dry against his skin. He didn't think he'd dreamed this time. _Too bad, really,_ he thought. _I wouldn't have minded another round at that table._ A noise at the door drew his attention, and he eased himself into a sitting position as Usopp slipped into the room.

"H-hey," the long-nosed boy said, making his way over to the bed. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, lots!" His mouth stretched into a grin. "You'd better be careful; if Nami catches you sneaking in…"

"I'm not sneaking!" Usopp protested. "I've been waiting outside all afternoon, ever since I heard you'd come around. Nami said I could come in after you woke up, as long as I didn't overexcite you." He perched himself on the edge of Luffy's bed. "Tony was here too, but he had to go home about an hour ago. He told me to say hi for him - he was real sad you didn't wake up before he left."

"Oh." He'd never had people his age care about him like that before. Okay, they were younger, technically – Usopp was sixteen and Tony only fourteen – but that just made it all the more amazing to him. _Is this what having friends feels like?_ "Thanks! Sorry I worried you," he said at last.

"Hey, as long as you're okay, right?" Usopp's smile was only slightly shaky at the edges. "I heard you looked real bad when my dad brought you in. They had to get a doctor from the village and everything!"

"Your dad?" Luffy had a vague recollection of someone catching him as he fell, strong arms carrying him, but try as he might, he couldn't pull a face out of his fuzzy memory.

"Yeah! He probably saved your life, you know." Usopp gave a proud grin. "Of course, he'd have to be awesome, to be worthy of being the great Usopp's second dad!"

" _Second_ dad?" Luffy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"That's right!" Usopp leaned in, lowering his voice. "Franky's the dad who raised me, but I have another father out there somewhere. He's probably a prince, you know."

"Really?" Luffy was riveted.

"Or maybe a spy! Someone important, anyway. It must have been important, for him leave me with dad and never visit, right? I expect I'd have been in danger if he'd kept me with him, so he found somewhere safe for me. Once I'm all grown up, he'll show up to take me back with him. I'll be his secret weapon!"

"Wow," Luffy whispered. Here he had finally made a friend, and that friend might just be a prince! Another thought sparked to life. What if they were related? Luffy was pretty sure at least one of his ancestors had come from the royal family of…somewhere-or-other, he couldn't remember just at the moment. It would be like having a brother. How cool would that be?

"So anyway, Luffy – what were you doing outside that day, anyway?" Usopp's voice jolted the boy from his thoughts.

"Oh, um…" While he was fairly sure Usopp wouldn't laugh at him, and would probably even understand why he'd wanted to go, it still felt silly, saying it out loud after his little jaunt had made so many people worry. "I…wanted to find the pixies."

"You mean…because of what I said?" Usopp's eyes widened and Luffy saw a guilty look wash over the younger boy's face.

"It's not your fault, Usopp," Luffy said firmly. "I've been itching to explore ever since I arrived here. I would have gone anyway. You just gave me a place to start looking."

Usopp looked a little relieved. "Still…sorry, Luffy."

"Don't worry about it," Luffy waved away the apology. "Anyway, I'm fine now!"

Usopp was quiet for a moment, but Luffy sensed he was gearing up to say something. "So…did you see anything?" he asked at last.

"Nope." Luffy sighed with remembered disappointment. "I looked all over and even brought milk, but the pixies wouldn't come no matter how much I called them."

"W-well, they're pretty shy, you know? You'll probably see them next time!" Usopp gave an encouraging smile. "So…nothing exciting happened at all, huh?"

Luffy drew breath to speak, but hesitated. The same reluctance he had felt with Nami was sweeping over him again. Whatever the mysterious pull had been, he didn't want to tell anyone about it. Not yet. "No," he said at last. "Nothing at all."

Usopp looked disappointed. He seemed to be taking the lack of response on the part of "his" island's supernatural forces as a personal insult. Luffy quickly tried to think of something to distract the long-nosed boy. "Say, Usopp…can you tell me anything else about that ghost ship you mentioned before? How many times have you seen it?"

"Um…maybe like…four or five times? I heard the singing a couple of times, though I only got close enough to hear words that once."

"What did the voice sound like? Can you remember the song?"

"Hmm…" Usopp's face grew thoughtful. "It was a deep voice, I know that. Definitely a guy. The song…" He screwed up his face in concentration. "It was a real pirate-y kind of song, lots of 'Yohohos' in it and stuff. You'd think that would make it cheerful, but it sounded…really sad."

"Maybe…" Luffy spoke hesitantly. "Maybe it's not the song. Maybe the mystery voice is sad. It's gotta be lonely, living on a ghost ship all by yourself, right?" Of course, it was possible the ship was full of ghostly crewmembers, and it was just that Usopp had only ever heard one of them sing, but Luffy didn't think so, somehow.

"Y-yeah, I guess it would be, huh?"

The conversation dropped off shortly after, and soon both boys were falling asleep, Usopp tucked around Luffy's legs at the bottom of the bed. And this time, Luffy dreamed.

* * *

 _The girl sat on the ground in front of him, her chest heaving with sobs and blood running down her arm._ Nami _, he thought, though again, she looked younger than the Nami he knew. As he watched, she turned to look at him, speaking through her tears. "Luffy…help me." And he would. In this dream, he was strong. Strong enough to protect her. Strong enough to protect everyone. Strong enough to chase all her nightmares away._

* * *

"Well, Luffy," Nami said as she checked him over a few days later, "you seem to be doing much better. In fact, I think we can resume your lessons today."

Luffy's face fell slightly. "But I don't want to stay shut up in a stuffy room with books. Can't I go outside today? _Please_ , Nami!"

"Education is important, Luffy!" Nami scolded him. "How do you expect to travel the world someday if you don't know anything about it?"

"It wouldn't be an adventure if I knew everything before I went," Luffy said sulkily. He didn't really _hate_ his lessons, especially the ones where he learned things about the world, like history or science. Back home, they had been the closest he could get to adventuring. But now he was on this island, with all kinds of fascinating things to see, he was feeling stronger than he had in a long time, and Nami was telling him he had to spend the day _indoors_? It wasn't fair.

"Don't give me that face, Luffy," said Nami briskly, pulling open the curtains. "Brook arrived yesterday and he's very eager to get started. And we've found an excellent tutor in the village. I think you'll like her."

"Fine," Luffy huffed. Honestly, he _was_ looking forward to seeing Brook again. The tall man had been hired as Luffy's butler and music teacher eight years ago, and they had gotten along well from the start, just like old friends. He had been disappointed that the musician had not been able to accompany him to the island immediately, but he was here now, and Luffy couldn't wait to talk to him. The music lessons, on the other hand…

* * *

"That was…that was very good, Luffy-san," Brook said a couple of hours later. He tried for an encouraging tone, but both he and Luffy could detect the strain in his voice.

Luffy loved music. He listened avidly whenever Brook took up an instrument, and sang enthusiastically (if somewhat off-key) every chance he got. It was one of his favorite things in the world outside of adventures. But even a tone-deaf giraffe couldn't mistake Luffy's attempts for proper music. However hard he practiced, however many instruments Brook made him try in hopes of finding the "right one," Luffy simply couldn't coax the proper melodies to come forth. He _was_ a little less hopeless than he had been at the start – after eight years learning from Brook, anyone would have improved a little – but it didn't mean he was any _good_ at it.

A less determined person would have given it up a long time ago, but Luffy wasn't a quitter. And he didn't want to lose Brook. The musician was not a shining example of butler-dom (though Luffy himself was perfectly satisfied) and the boy was afraid his parents would insist the man be replaced if it weren't for the music. _No one_ could outdo Brook when it came to music. Luffy just knew.

"Why don't we leave it here for today?" Brook suggested at last, and Luffy put down the violin gratefully. The musician had tea brought up, and the two spent the rest of the morning chatting. It turned out that Brook had already met Luffy's new tutor the day before.

"She's quite a lovely lady, Robin-san," he said, reaching for a scone from the tea tray. She's the town librarian, you know. Very knowledgeable, and quite beautiful, too, Yohohoho! ...Though I'm afraid she did not allow me to see her panties."

Luffy chuckled. He didn't quite understand Brook's fascination with women's underwear, but it seemed to make his friend happy, so Luffy was happy, too.

"Her specialty is history," Brook continued. "And she is particularly well-versed on the history of this island, including its culture and legends. She could be quite helpful to you in your explorations, Luffy-san."

Luffy leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Legends? Like the ghost ship? Does she know about that?"

"Ghost…ship?" The musician's face had paled slightly. "Oh dear. I do hope that particular tale is merely a legend. I hate ghosts!"

"Nope, it's real!" Luffy was nearly bouncing in his seat. "Usopp and Tony both saw it, and Usopp even heard a mystery voice singing!" The boy hummed excitedly, oblivious to Brook's discomfort. This lady, Robin, must know more about the ship. And maybe the other stuff Usopp had mentioned, too. He wondered if she knew how to catch pixies. Suddenly, Luffy couldn't wait for the afternoon to come.


	5. Lessons

A warm breeze blew into the room through the open windows, carrying the scent of flowers to the dark-haired boy perched on the edge of his chair. Luffy breathed deeply and clenched his hands tightly where they rested on his knees. Lunch was over, and he would be meeting the tutor, Robin, in just a few minutes. They'd received a call that she was at the front gate, and Brook had gone to meet her. Luffy had wanted to come along, but Nami had flatly refused.

"There's no point in you going all the way out there just to turn around and come back," she'd told him. "Take it easy until your lessons are over, and maybe you can go outside for a bit before it gets dark."

Luffy had reluctantly agreed, and so here he was, sitting alone in this room waiting impatiently for the historian to arrive. Would she be nice? _Of course she will be,_ he told himself. _Someone who likes stories and legends so much can't be a bad person._

The sound of footsteps in the hallway brought him quickly to his feet. Luffy stared at the door. A moment later, it opened, and a woman entered. She was in her mid-twenties, tall and slender, with long black hair that fell past her shoulders. Her eyes held a lively warmth, and she gave him a friendly smile as she approached. Brook entered behind her and closed the door. "Yohohoho, Robin-san, may I present young master Luffy. Luffy-san, this is Nico Robin, your new tutor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Luffy-san." Robin held out a hand, and Luffy took it. "I hear you have some interest in history, is that correct?"

"I like adventures," Luffy said. "I learn about history and stuff in books because that's all I've been able to do until now, but someday I'm going to see everything for myself and I won't need the books anymore."

"I see." Robin chuckled. "Well, I'll be happy to be your guide for as long as you need me." She turned to the butler. "Brook-san, would you mind getting us some tea? I always find it helps with studying."

"Of course, Robin-san!" The musician bowed deeply. "And…perhaps I might see your panties?"

"No." Robin's smile never wavered.

After Brook had left with a rather dejected air, Luffy and Robin seated themselves at the table, and Robin opened the bag she had brought with her, removing a few books. "Now, Luffy-san. I thought we'd begin with world history today. Perhaps you could tell me some of the areas you've already covered? What were you studying with your previous tutor?"

"I want to know about this island," Luffy said quickly. "You know about it, right? Brook said you were an expert on all the local legends and stuff."

"Well…" Robin sounded unsure. "I do, but…"

" _Please_ , Robin!" Luffy begged. "I'll do the other stuff next time, I promise! I gotta know about this!"

Robin closed her eyes and sighed indulgently. "Oh, very well. This island _does_ have a rather fascinating culture – it's why I settled here, in fact."

"Really? So do you know about the legends of this estate? My friend told me some things, but I want to know if you know anything else about it."

"Mm, yes, I believe there are several legends regarding this particular part of the island. What have you heard?"

Luffy repeated what Usopp had told him. Robin was not aware of any stories of pixies, nor had she heard about the creaky staircase ("I'm afraid this is the first time I've set foot in this mansion, Luffy-san"). When he mentioned the forest, however, her expression changed.

"Ah, yes, the unicorn. I haven't heard much, nor have I seen such a thing myself. However, there have been hoofprints found in that forest on occasion, starting approximately fourteen years ago."

"Real hoofprints?" Luffy's hands gripped the arms of the chair as he leaned forward with interest.

"Yes. Which is curious, as there are no wild animals on this island that have hooves. The domestic animals are kept on the other side of the island, and it would be quite difficult for them to get to that forest. In addition, the prints were smaller and of a different shape than the tracks such animals would make."

"Do you think it's actually a unicorn?" Luffy was itching to go to the forest and look for the creature. He'd go this instant, if he didn't have more to ask Robin about. _And,_ he told himself, _if I didn't want to keep Nami from worrying any more for a while._

"Who knows?" Robin smiled at him. "Perhaps a young explorer will solve the mystery for us."

Luffy grinned. He'd been right; Robin _was_ nice. He decided it was time for the big question he'd been saving. "And what about the ghost ship? Have you heard about that?" He held his breath, waiting for her reply.

Robin froze for just an instant. She opened her mouth to speak – and Brook chose that moment to reenter the room with a tea tray. "Here you are, Luffy-san, Robin-san. I trust everything is going well so far?"

"Yeah!" Luffy bounced a little in his seat. "Robin was just about to tell me what she knows about the ghost ship!"

Brook, who had been about to make himself comfortable in a third chair, quickly remembered pressing business elsewhere and promptly excused himself, leaving Robin to pour tea for Luffy and herself. She took her cup and stared into the depths. Luffy watched impatiently, and was just about to prod her again when she finally spoke.

"I know the legend of the ghost ship quite well…I saw it myself once, when I was a little girl."

"You did? Awesome! What was it like?"

Robin took a deep breath. "I was eight," she said. "My parents and I came to this island for a vacation. There was a local festival taking place while we were here, and the grounds of this mansion were opened for the duration. At some point I wandered away from the other children and ended up walking by the edge of the bay alone. The mist came in rather suddenly and I lost my way.

"As I was trying to find the path back, I felt a breeze, and when I looked up, I saw the ship, shrouded in mist. It seemed to be a rather large ship, though it was a ways off shore, so I can't be certain. I'm afraid I wasn't able to make out any details of the ship's design or flags."

"What about the mystery voice?" Luffy's eyes were shining. "Usopp said he heard someone on board, singing."

"I did not hear anything myself," Robin said. "However…"

"What? What is it?" demanded Luffy.

"There have been reports," Robin said. "There's one from about one hundred fifty years ago, of a man who claimed to have actually spoken with the ghost who inhabits that ship."

Luffy was trembling with excitement. "What happened? What did it say?"

"Apparently, the man saw the ship and called out, asking why it was here, and much to his surprise, he received a response, though he still saw no one. The voice told him that it was 'guarding the way.' When the man asked for whom it was guarding, the voice replied, 'My king.' The man tried to ask more, but a sudden noise made him look away for an instant, and when he turned back, the ship had vanished."

"Wow…" So the mystery voice had a king. Was it another ghost? Where did this one live? And had the voice really been waiting for this king of his for over a century? It wasn't very nice to keep someone waiting like that, Luffy decided. _What if the voice wants to see the world too, but he can't, because some stuck-up king made him stay here? Why's this "way" so important it needs guarding? What's it a way to?_ His head was spinning with questions.

Unfortunately, Robin had no answers, and shortly afterward decided it was time to move on to English. There followed several very boring hours for Luffy, made bearable only by Robin's company. He wasn't usually this impatient with his lessons, but after what he'd just heard he couldn't sit still. He wanted to race out and explore the forest, run down to the bay and yell himself hoarse until the ship appeared. But he persevered, because Nami had said he might be able to go outside after his lessons – maybe he could even go to the bay – and because he didn't want to disappoint Robin. If he ran out on the first day, she might not want to come back. And he liked Robin.

Luffy did get to go outside, though Nami made him stick to the garden, and he was not allowed to go alone. Luffy, Usopp and Tony spent a happy hour exploring among the plants and searching – without success – for pixies, with Usopp's dad, Franky, watching over them from a reasonable distance.

* * *

_The wind whipped around his face as he stood on the high building. There were several others there, spaced in a line to either side of him. He wasn't sure if Usopp was with them this time; there was a man who gave him a similar feeling, but the face was different, somehow. The Nami-girl was there, on his far right, but the rest of the faces were fuzzy and indistinct. On his far left was some kind of huge furry creature – a gorilla? Next to the gorilla was a man with blond hair and rather familiar black shoes. To his right…there was a man standing between himself and the Nami-girl. Luffy knew he trusted him with his life, as he would any of his friends, but he couldn't make out any details of the man's appearance._

_But that wasn't important. Because across from them, high in another building, was Robin, and all Luffy's attention was on her. They had been through so much to get here, and they would have to endure more to get her back, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was what she felt. He screamed something to her, the words lost in the dream, and waited for her answer._


	6. Cooks and Houses

He should have been excited. For weeks now, Luffy had been waiting anxiously for a misty night. Or morning. Or afternoon. Any time was good, really, as long as there was mist – so that he could at last see the ghost ship for himself. But the air had stayed stubbornly clear. Until tonight. Tonight, _finally_ , swirling tendrils of grayish white were creeping across the grounds, and the bay was so full of the stuff it was near impossible to see the shore.

Yes, Luffy should have been excited. But he'd woken that morning with a terrible fever, nearly as bad as the one he'd had after collapsing in the garden, and Nami had confined him to bed for the rest of the day on pain of death. He wasn't sure what had brought it on – he _had_ felt more tired than usual after playing with Usopp and Tony the day before, but it hadn't felt like something that would turn this serious.

Luffy stared miserably out of the window, cursing his weak body. The ship was probably out there right now. If he had been down at the shore, he would have called and called until the mystery voice had no choice but to answer him. He was persistent that way. The boy sighed, trying to imagine the shape of a ship in the center of the mist. The prow would be just there, in that dark patch, and the mast would be sticking up from there…

A few seconds later, Luffy was struggling to sit up higher, eyes locked on the window. It wasn't just his imagination. There _was_ something there, a murky shape, black in the dim moonlight. Struggling out of bed, Luffy made his way to the window, swaying dangerously. His sweat-dampened hands scrabbled at the window, and after a few moments, managed to pry it open.

The cool night air hit his face. His fevered body shivered violently, but he hardly noticed. Because as soon as the window was open, the same tugging he had felt in the garden returned, far stronger than it had been before. Luffy gripped the sill to keep himself from simply jumping through the open window, so strong was the desire to _get down there now_.

_Who are you?_ He thought frantically. _What do you want? Why are you making me feel like this?_ He felt a stirring from the bay, and thought he heard a voice calling to him. Luffy tried to call back, but a hoarse squawk was all that escaped from his already dry throat. As he drew breath to try again, the door behind him suddenly opened.

" _LUFFY!_ " Nami's shrill cry jolted him from his focus, but the pull was still there, as strong as ever. " _What are you DOING?_ " Hands were grabbing at him, dragging him back from the window. Luffy struggled to throw them off; he had to get closer, had to answer the voice.

"Get that window closed!" Nami shouted, and Luffy saw a figure dart forward and wrench at the frame. The window slammed shut, and as it did, the pull began to fade.

" _NO!_ " Luffy tried to scream, but his throat was still too dry, and it came out a hacking cough. He thrashed harder, and actually managed to take a couple of steps back towards the window.

"Help me with him!" Suddenly another pair of hands joined the first, and these were stronger – a man's. Luffy tried to resist, but the burst of strength given to him by desperation was fast depleting, and Luffy was forced back into bed. He twisted feebly, trying to rise – and froze as he caught sight of Nami's assistant.

It was a tall, slender man in a black suit. His blond hair, slightly disheveled from his struggle with Luffy, fell over one eye. Luffy had never seen him before in his life, but as he looked at the man, his mind shot back to the dream with Robin, and before that, to the dream feast and the shoe, and he knew – _knew_ with utter certainly – that this man was the blond who had been standing with him on that building. _How do I know that? How could I have dreamed something like that when I've never even met him?_ Luffy's eyes flicked down, and he was entirely unsurprised to see the man was wearing rather familiar-looking heavy black dress shoes.

"Have you calmed down now?" the man asked, and Luffy, spent from his exertion and still shocked by the blond's sudden appearance, nodded dumbly.

"What were you _doing_?" Nami's voice still sounding panicked, came from his other side, and Luffy turned his head to look at her. "You _idiot_! You're in no shape to be out of bed! And opening the window on a cold night like this! What were you thinking? You looked like you were about to fall out!"

"Sorry…Nami," Luffy rasped in a hoarse whisper.

Nami managed to calm herself enough to pour him some water, which felt cool and soothing to his parched throat. She then busied herself with wordlessly sponging him down, evidently not trusting herself to speak further. Through it all, the blond watched him, leaning against the wall and chewing on an unlit cigarette. Nami moved away to prepare Luffy's medicine, and the man finally stepped forward and spoke.

"Gave Nami-san quite a scare tonight, kid." He stared down at Luffy with an air of reproach. "It's not nice to worry a lady like that, you know."

Luffy looked away guiltily. He hadn't meant to worry anyone. If they had just felt what he had! If they could have sensed that connection, that voice, surely they would have understood.

The man sighed. "Well, never mind. People can do some crazy things if they're not feeling well, and by the look of you, your thinking's about as clear as mud right now." He shifted his hand, as though about to offer it for a shake, then thought better of it. "Guess I should introduce myself. I'm the guy who's been doing all the cooking around here for the past month. The name's—"

_Sanji,_ thought Luffy.

"—Sanji," finished the blond. He gave Luffy a small grin as Nami returned with the medicine. "Dinner's outside, if you're up for it. Food probably doesn't sound too great right now, but you should try to eat something."

In the end, Luffy did manage to eat a little. The food was plain and simple, but it settled well in his stomach and tasted as good as everything Sanji made. Within a few days, Luffy had mostly recovered, and though Nami kept him strictly indoors, he'd found a new occupation to alleviate his boredom. Once he was allowed to leave his rooms again, he quickly found his way to the kitchen, and spent increasing amounts of time there over the next few weeks. Sanji constantly complained and threatened to throw him out, especially since Nami had forbidden him to smoke in Luffy's presence. But Luffy could tell that he didn't really mean it – usually – and was secretly pleased to have the company of someone that so clearly appreciated his cooking.

Luffy found his appetite increasing, and he soon learned the best ways to persuade a grumbling Sanji to make a few snacks for him to munch on while he watched. The man seemed determined that no one in the mansion would go hungry, though he had a special soft spot for Nami and Robin, and would frequently carry treats to the nurse or burst into Luffy's tutoring sessions with a tray of delicacies.

Luffy wanted to know more about him. He especially wanted to know why Sanji had been in his dreams, and how the hell he'd known the man's name before hearing it. The few times he'd tried talking about it, however, the blond had looked at him so strangely that he'd quickly dropped the subject. Sanji already seemed to think he'd gone off the rails a bit while ill; Luffy didn't need the cook thinking he was crazy the rest of the time as well.

* * *

Even Sanji's company had its limits as a distraction, however, and after three weeks, Luffy was desperate to get outside again. His health had remained stable since his recovery, but however much he begged and pleaded, Nami continued to insist he wait. Luffy had nearly made up his mind to sneak out again, even if it did make Nami worry, when Usopp burst into his room one afternoon, breathless with excitement, Tony following in his wake.

"Luffy, c'mon! C'mon, you gotta see—" He snatched eagerly at the boy's hand.

"You _gotta_ see!" echoed Tony, bouncing around beside him.

"What? What is it, Usopp?" Luffy had been startled by the two boys' entrance, but from their demeanor he could tell it was something good, and he felt anticipation building in his chest as he was dragged downstairs.

When they arrived in one of the back rooms near the garden entrance, Luffy was surprised to see Nami waiting for him, along with Brook, Sanji, and Franky. All four of them were looking extremely pleased about something, and Nami gave him a sly grin as he stopped in front of her.

"How nice of you to join us, Luffy," she said. "Now please turn around."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it!" Nami commanded with a flash of irritation.

Slowly, Luffy spun in place until his back was to Nami and the others. Footsteps approached him from behind, and the next thing he knew, a soft cloth was slipping over his eyes, blocking out the light. "Hey! What's—"

"Just relax, Luffy," came Nami's voice, soft in his ear. "This is something you'll like, I promise."

Hands fell on each of his shoulders, and Luffy was gently steered forward. After a minute, he heard a door being opened, and fresh air hit his face. _I'm going outside?_ He was. The hands guided Luffy down the wide steps and onto a path, then he walked for what felt like hours. They didn't seem to be going into the garden; Luffy felt sure the scent of flowers would have been stronger if they had.

At last, the hands tugged him to a stop. "Are you ready?" Nami asked, and Luffy thought he could detect a faint tremor in her voice.

"Yes," he said, and a moment later, the blindfold fell away. At first, his eyes were too dazzled by the light to make out what the thing in front of him was. He blinked furiously, and the blurry shape slowly resolved itself into a small building.

Its shape looked as if someone had taken a castle tower and crossed it with a Japanese pagoda. It was made of a smooth reddish tan wood, the octagonal walls stretching up to meet a sloping tiled roof of dark green. Wide curving steps led up to elegant glass doors, and Luffy could see glimpses of a light, airy room beyond.

"What do you think, little bro?" Franky's loud voice broke into his study of the little structure. "This is the most SUPER summerhouse in the world, designed and built for your use by me, the great Franky!"

Luffy's eyes were wide. "Summerhouse?"

"That's right," Nami said with a smile. "It has a living area, a couple of bedrooms, a bathroom, and kitchen. As long as your health holds up, you'll be able to spend a few nights a week out here. You'll have the warmth and protection of the house when you need it, but you're surrounded by nature, and closer to the forest and the bay."

Luffy blinked in surprise. He hadn't noticed before, caught up in looking at the house, but a little ways beyond the small building, he could see the beach, leading down to the bay with its sparkling water.

"There's a deck in the back," Sanji said. "Plenty of space, and it's equipped with a grill. It's perfect for parties."

" _Quiet_ parties," Nami stressed. "For a few close friends only. We don't want too much excitement!"

"Oh, of course, Nami-swan!" Sanji assured her hurriedly.

"You guys…did this for me?" Luffy felt a prickling sensation at the corners of his eyes, and he was having a hard time swallowing – something seemed to be stuck in his throat.

"Course we did, Luffy!" Usopp said. "We couldn't let you stay cooped up in that mansion all summer! Tony and I helped out, of course! Why, if it wasn't for the great Usopp—"

"We helped with the painting, mostly," Tony cut in. "And setting up the furniture."

"You guys…" The prickling at Luffy's eyes spilled over into a steady stream of tears, and he launched himself at his friends, arms wrapping around Usopp and Tony. "I don't…I can't…" He looked up at Franky and the others, grinning through his sobs. "You guys are the best! Thank you so much!"

"No problem at all, little bro," Franky said with a proud smile.

"Thank goodness it's finally finished," Brook said fervently. "It was quite the ordeal keeping you inside during the building process!"

Luffy swung around to stare at Nami. " _That's_ why you wouldn't let me go out for so long?"

"I'm sorry, Luffy," Nami said with a sheepish smile. "We were worried you might catch a glimpse of it. I even kept the curtains in your room closed on that side so you couldn't look out."

Though a part of him wanted to be annoyed with Nami for keeping him shut up in the mansion so much longer than he'd needed to be, Luffy couldn't feel truly angry. Not when he'd be able to live out here, so close to the forest, and the bay. Now he'd see the ghost ship for sure! And maybe a unicorn, too.

* * *

After being shown the inside of the summerhouse, Luffy had decided that they needed a party that night, to celebrate the house's completion and his moving in. Fortunately, the others had anticipated this demand and preparations were already underway. Tables had been set up on the deck, and Brook and Franky began bringing down drinks and dishes that Sanji had prepared earlier, while the chef fired up the grill. Robin arrived soon after, having been alerted by Nami.

Outdoors, with the wind carrying the salty air from the bay, the food tasted better than it ever had. Luffy talked and ate and laughed, and he felt normal for once, as strong as anyone. When everyone had at last eaten their fill (for the moment), Franky and Usopp slipped off. "It's a surprise!" was all Usopp would say when Luffy asked him where he was going. Usopp returned a few minutes later holding a bundle under his arm, but Franky was nowhere to be seen.

"C'mon, Usopp, what going on?" Luffy tried to keep the whine out of his voice.

The long-nosed boy grinned. "Just wait! It'll be starting soon, I promise—"

Just then, a boom sounded from the direction of the bay, and a moment later the sky lit up with color. A second boom followed the first, then another, and another. "Fireworks?" Luffy gasped.

"Of course! All the best parties have fireworks!" Usopp grinned proudly. "Dad makes them himself – with my help, of course." He unwrapped the bundle, revealing several dozen sparklers. "Here," he said, holding out the bundle to Luffy, who took one eagerly.

After the fireworks, Brook, Sanji, and Franky headed off to the house to collect the desserts Sanji had prepared, while Nami and Robin cleared the tables and began washing up. The three boys were left alone on the deck, chattering excitedly. Suddenly, Tony grew quiet.

"Hey guys?" he said hesitantly. "I-it's getting kind of misty all of a sudden, isn't it?"

Luffy's head whipped around towards the bay. Sure enough, the shoreline that had been so clear earlier was now obscured with fog. His heart leapt. Was this the night at last, after so many weeks of waiting and hoping? He sprang to his feet and pattered down the steps of the deck towards the beach, moving as fast as he could. He heard Usopp and Tony calling for him to wait up, but he ignored them. His feet hit the sandy beach and his eyes swept the mist, looking for a shape, an outline – anything!

There. He froze as his eyes locked on to a dark smudge in the distance. Slowly, he strode forward, remembering what Usopp had said about not taking your eyes off the ship. He could feel the pull again, though it was gentler this time, almost welcoming. When Luffy reached the shore, he stopped. The ship was much clearer now, and coming closer. He heard gasps behind him, and knew Usopp and Tony were seeing it too.

Usopp had been right. It was definitely a pirate ship. It had a round, cheerful look to it, with a figurehead that looked very similar to the sunflower-lion over the mansion's front door. Luffy felt sure that in the light, the ship would be quite colorful, not at all like the kind of fierce, sinister ship you might expect from pirates. But there was no mistaking the giant skull and crossbones painted on the sail, nor the flags drifting lazily in the wind. The Jolly Roger had a friendly look to it as well, if it were possible for such a thing. It was wearing a yellow hat. As Luffy gazed at it, the pull in his chest became an ache, and he found to his surprise that he was crying again.


	7. Close Encounters

Luffy held still and silent, listening hard for any sound of singing, any sign of the mystery voice. But everything was quiet save for the sound of waves and the slight creaking of the ship. At last he could stand it no longer. Not taking his eyes off the ship, he drew a deep breath and called out.

"Hey! Anyone there?" His voice sounded loud in the quiet night. It echoed around the bay, and for a moment, it seemed there would be no reaction from the ship. An instant later, however, the hairs on the back of Luffy's neck stood on end as he was hit with the sudden sensation of being watched. His eyes scanned the ship frantically. Someone was there, he knew it. _Where are you?_ he thought. _I know you want me for something. I'm right here! Show yourself!_

His roving gaze snagged on a patch of air on the forward deck of the ship. At first glance it was no different from any other patch of air, but on closer inspection it appeared distorted, slightly darker than the space surrounding it. _Is that you?_ Luffy asked the voice silently. _Are you the one calling me?_

As he was about to draw breath to speak again, voices sounded from the summerhouse, calling his name. The boys reflexively glanced in that direction, just for an instant. When Luffy turned back, the ship had gone. The mist was fading quickly, and he could barely feel the pull anymore. "Damn it!" he growled in frustration. "COME BACK!" But there was no response.

After several minutes, Luffy finally turned back towards the summerhouse. "It's gone. Let's go, guys."

"Y-yeah." Usopp shook himself and trailed after Luffy, reaching out with one hand to grab Tony's arm. The younger boy was still frozen, staring at the water. "C'mon, Tony."

Nami was waiting for them when they returned. "Luffy, you can't go running off like that! Just because you're feeling well and we're celebrating, it doesn't mean you don't have to be careful! Do you want to get sick again?"

"But Nami, we had to go!" Luffy said. "The ghost ship was here! It came while you were all busy!"

Nami narrowed her eyes. "I know you like your stories, Luffy, but ghosts don't exist. It was probably a trick of the light!"

"It _wasn't_!" Luffy said emphatically. "I know what I saw! It was a pirate ship. We all saw it, right guys?"

"Yeah, we-we did," Usopp said. His voice still sounded a bit shaky, and Tony simply nodded, unable to speak.

"All right, all right," Nami said with a sigh, and Luffy knew she hadn't believed them. "Just get inside; we're ready to start dessert. Though perhaps you three shouldn't have any after making us worry again."

Tony's squawk of protest at the thought of missing out on sweets brought a chuckle to Luffy's lips, and as they headed up the steps, he did his best to force thoughts of the ship from his mind. At least until dessert was over.

* * *

Over the following weeks, Luffy spent as much time outdoors as possible. When he could, he went exploring. On the days he felt weaker, he would stretch out in one of the comfortable chairs that Franky had set up on the deck of the summerhouse – but still he went outside. He would not miss the mist the next time it came. He would see the ship again. _And this time, I'm not taking my eyes off it until the mystery voice answers me, damn it!_

One day, a couple of weeks after the party, Luffy, Usopp, and Tony went into the forest to explore. Luffy was excited; if he had to wait to catch another glimpse of the ghost ship, maybe he could at least see a unicorn. The boys set a leisurely pace so Luffy wouldn't get worn out too fast. By midday, they had found nothing, and took a break to share the excellent lunch Sanji had packed them.

The afternoon was different. About an hour after lunch, the boys were skirting the edge of a small cliff when a sudden cry brought Luffy and Tony rushing over to their friend.

"Look!" Usopp pointed at a patch of ground in front of him, finger shaking in excitement. Near the edge, the ground was bare, and the three boys could see several small cloven hoofprints clearly outlined in the dirt. "It's the unicorn!" exclaimed Usopp. "It's really here! These look pretty fresh, too – it must be close!"

Luffy was nearly as excited as Usopp and ready to go running after the creature immediately. Tony, however, frowned and peered more closely at the prints.

"I don't know, Usopp – these look a lot like deer tracks to me."

Usopp waved off the objection. "Of course they do! They have similar feet, why wouldn't the tracks look like each other? But there _aren't_ any deer on this island, remember? Luffy said Robin told him that. She knows what she's talking about, and so do I! These are definitely unicorn tracks!"

"Maybe…" Tony looked doubtful.

"Definitely! C'mon, let's go find it!"

The boys moved farther into the forest, but another hour of searching later, they had found no more signs, and Luffy was tiring quickly. Reluctantly, they headed home. Just as they reached the edge of the forest, Luffy felt something, and turned around. His brow furrowed in concentration. It was faint, much weaker than the pull he'd felt from the ghost ship, but… _There's something here,_ he thought. _There's definitely something in this forest!_ He grinned happily. _Looks like I've got more than one adventure waiting for me._

* * *

The forest trek seemed to have energized Luffy. His health remained stable, and a week after the trip he, Usopp, and Tony took a huge picnic lunch down to the bay. Franky – who was in charge of watching them – had been persuaded to remain at the summerhouse, and the boys happily set up their feast and dove in. After lunch, Usopp suggested a few rounds of hide-and-seek. Luffy had never played before. After a moment of horrified shock at this news, Usopp explained how to play. There seemed to be quite a lot of rules. Luffy knew the general idea of the game, and he was fairly sure the long-nosed boy had made a few additions.

Tony, it turned out, was surprisingly good at being It. He found both Luffy and Usopp in next to no time at all, and Usopp jokingly asked if he was part bloodhound. It was Luffy's turn next, and though it took him a long while to find Usopp – and he didn't uncover Tony at all before time was up – he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Usopp began counting, and Luffy dashed into the bushes to find a good spot. Nothing looked right, so he kept going, heading further along the shore. He was intent on scouring the bushes and trees for a hiding place, and so failed to notice as the air around him began to fill with swirls of silver. Only when he was hit by a low-hanging branch he hadn't seen coming did he look around and realize that the place in which he was standing was entirely filled with thick fog. The path had completely disappeared.

* * *

He was lost. As much as he had been longing for the mist to return, Luffy felt an involuntary flutter of panic. He couldn't see more than a foot in front of him, and he had no idea where the path had gone or even which way the shore was.

"Hey!" he called loudly. "Usopp! Tony! You guys there?" He took a few cautious steps backward, the twigs snapping under his feet sounding like gunshots in the sudden hush that had come over the place. "Tony! Usopp! Answer me! Forget the game for a minute!"

There was no response. Luffy's nerves got the better of him, and he chose a direction at random and started running, moving as quickly as he could through the blanket of fog and the thick vegetation. After a few minutes, his energy began to drop and he shuddered to a halt, breathing hard. _Calm down,_ he told himself. _This could be an adventure! Isn't that what you wanted?_ He squared his shoulders and pressed forward, trying to ignore his increasingly labored breathing and his worry that the other boys had not answered his calls. _They should have heard me,_ he thought uneasily. _I hadn't gone all_ that _far when I called._

With each step he took, his heartbeat pounded louder in his ears and the bubble of panic and nerves in his chest grew larger. _Keep moving,_ he told himself. _I have to keep moving!_ His steps came faster and faster, as though something were chasing him. _Or,_ he thought, as his eyes widened in realization, _as if something were_ pulling _me._ And suddenly he recognized the tight tugging sensation in his chest for what it was – not panic or fear, but the mysterious pull of the ghost ship.

Luffy would have laughed if he had had breath. His anxiety disappeared, and he followed the sensation as fast as he could, speeding to a near run, determined to make it to the bay before the ship could leave again. _If you can just make it to the shore, the ship will be there. How could it not be, with so much mist?_ He smacked into a few more branches, and nearly tripped over several roots and low bushes, but the plants were fairly small and pliant this close to shore, and gave way easily as he pushed through. He was close now, he could feel it. Hear it, in fact – the gentle sound of waves was faint but clear. He strained his eyes forward, trying to see something, _anything_ through the curtain of white – and then, there it was. The ship's outline was faint but clearly visible a short distance away. Luffy sped up, his breath coming in wheezing gasps. _Wait,_ he pleaded silently. _Wait for me this time! I'm coming! I'm—_

And then his world tilted crazily as his pounding feet took another step – and found themselves treading air instead of the hard ground they had been expecting. Luffy hadn't noticed he'd been moving up a slope, but he suddenly recalled that on one side of the bay was a cliff that stretched above the sandy shore. It wasn't horribly tall, but the fall would be enough to injure or kill – especially falling blind as he was, with his already exhausted body. In sudden panic, he lunged for the side of the cliff – and to his astonishment, managed to grab hold of a thick root protruding from the sheer face.

Any relief he felt was short-lived, however. Luffy's arm strength was unimpressive at the best of times, and after the exertion of running through the woods he was weaker than a kitten. He held on no more than a few seconds before his shaking fingers lost their grip and once again, he plummeted towards the ground.


	8. The Man in the Mist

Luffy's numb fingers scrabbled frantically for the side of the cliff, but there was nothing else to catch hold of, nothing he could do but hope he survived the landing. He closed his eyes and waited for his fate. He expected the next thing he felt would be hard ground, perhaps rocks or, if he was really lucky, the soft sand of the beach.

Instead, he felt strong arms wrapping around his body, and a moment later, the impact as whoever had grabbed him landed on the beach. As he was gently set upright on the sand, Luffy opened his eyes and twisted, trying to catch a glimpse of his savior, but the same strong arms prevented him from turning enough to see the man's face.

There was a soft tinkle of metal; a warm hand landed firmly on his back. A moment later, a deep voice sounded close by Luffy's ear.

"Well, I'd say that was pretty close. Why don't you look where you're going next time?"

Luffy frowned. "There was mist everywhere, how was I supposed to see anything?"

"You could always try going slower, idiot." The voice held a note of exasperated amusement now.

"But if I didn't hurry," Luffy protested, "I might not have made it to the bay before—" His head whipped around, trying to find the shoreline. "The ship! Damn, I looked away! Did it disappear? Where—"

"Relax, Luffy," the voice cut in. "The ship won't leave just yet."

"Are you sure? Where is it? How…" Luffy broke off as something occurred to him. "…How do you know my name?"

It took a moment for the reply to come. "You…don't know me, do you?"

Luffy shook his head.

"You really don't remember." The voice sounded almost…sad.

"…No. Remember what?"

The man sighed. "I suppose I expected as much."

"What don't I remember? When did we meet? Who are you?"

The beach echoed with a faint chuckle. "I'm really not one for telling long stories. Another time, maybe."

"C'mon, why can't you just tell me now?" The man _couldn't_ just claim to know him and then refuse to say anything! Investigations were fun, but some things needed to be explained straight away, and mysterious acquaintances he didn't remember were one of them.

"Impatient as ever, I see," the voice said wryly. "Today's not the right time. Trust me on this."

"But—"

"If you don't remember, you're not ready. Now, I think it's about time you went back."

"No!" Luffy tried again to turn. "I've been waiting for this! I finally have a chance to see the ship again and meet the mystery voice, I can't leave yet!"

The hands kept a firm grip on Luffy, but he did manage to twist enough to bring the ship into view. The Jolly Roger grinned at him across the water, its yellow hat even more cheery in the daylight, though the mist obscured it a little. He stopped struggling, relaxing in the man's hold as he looked at it.

"So you like the ship, huh?" The voice asked.

"It's the most amazing ship I've ever seen." Luffy couldn't take his eyes off it. "And there's something it wants from me, something important. That's why I have to get over there!"

"You're right," the man said. "And you will, Luffy. But not today."

"But—"

"You'll have another chance. I promise. Your friends are missing you. Go back."

"I…don't know the way," he said. Maybe the voice would let him stay if there wasn't a way back, and Luffy could get him to let something slip. "I can't find the path with all this mist."

The voice gave an amused snort. "I'm not one for giving directions, either. You'll figure it out quick enough once the mist clears up." Luffy felt a gentle push, moving him along the beach. "Why don't you try that way?"

Almost immediately, Luffy spun around, looking for the mysterious man. All he saw was mist, yet he still felt a sense of presence there. "Hey, where'd you go?" This time, the voice didn't answer.

Luffy huffed a frustrated breath. "Fine!" He yelled into the mist. "Fine, I'll go. But I'm going to come back, and then you're going to tell me everything!" Abruptly, he smiled. "Thanks for saving me!" He waved. "See you again!" He turned and started walking in the direction the man had pushed him.

After Luffy had moved off, a quiet voice spoke once more into the misty air. "I'll be waiting…Captain."

* * *

Luffy pushed his way between two bushes and swatted at some strands of spider web that had attached themselves to his face. The mysterious man really _wasn't_ good at directions, he decided. Maybe his friends _were_ this way, but surely there was a path he could take to get there that actually, well…had a path? Stumbling over a root, Luffy continued forward, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. The pull was still there, urging him to turn around, to go back to where the ship still waited in the mist. But the man had told him to return to his friends, and Luffy would follow his advice. Something deep inside, some innate part of him knew that he could trust this person with anything, even – perhaps especially – with his life. He had promised they would meet again, and Luffy decided to believe that.

_Hopefully it'll be soon,_ Luffy thought. Trust or no, he was still itching to get to the bottom of all this, now more than ever. _At least I finally got to meet the mystery voice this time._ He was certain the man he'd spoken to had been the ghostly ship's guardian. Why else would he be inside the estate? How else could he have known that the ship wouldn't disappear when Luffy had taken his eyes off it? _It's his ship; of course it wouldn't leave without him._

Luffy ducked a low tree branch, realizing as he did so that he'd seen it coming this time. _The mist is disappearing._ He felt a bit sad at the thought, noticing the tugging in his chest fading as his surroundings gradually became more visible. _Well, he did say the mist would be clearing._ Now that he could see, Luffy's eyes picked out a path a ways ahead, and he moved toward it. _It should at least get me close enough to the others for us to hear each other._ And sure enough, he had been on the path less than a minute when he heard someone calling his name.

"LUFFY!" Usopp's shout had a note of panic to it. "Hey, c'mon, answer me!"

"LUFFY!" came Tony's high-pitched voice from the same direction.

"Usopp! Tony!" Luffy called back. "Over here!" There was the sound of running footsteps, and moments later two small forms hurtled into sight around a bend in the path. The boys skidded to a halt in front of Luffy, their faces wearing matching expressions of frantic relief.

"Luffy! What happened? Where've you been?" Usopp's voice was unsteady and his knees were wobbling a bit.

"What do you mean? I've been right here." Luffy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"We've been looking for you for over an hour!" Tony looked as though he'd been crying and might break down again any minute. "We were so worried!"

Luffy's mouth opened slightly in surprise. _An hour?_ His time with the voice had felt like only a few minutes. Had it really been that long? "I'm sorry, guys," he said at last. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Did something happen?" Usopp asked.

Luffy hesitated. He didn't feel like sharing his encounter with the mystery voice just yet. It felt personal, private – like a secret treasure he wanted to keep all to himself. But Usopp and Tony were his friends, he reminded himself. _They've been running around looking for me all this time. They deserve the truth about what happened. And it's not like they'd laugh. Of all the people you could tell, they'd be the most likely to believe you._

"Yeah, something kind of did." Luffy slung an arm around his friend's shoulders. "I'll tell you guys on the way back to the house." The three set off through the woods, Luffy recounting his adventure. As he described his panting, headlong rush for the shore – and the terrifying fall – Luffy noticed he could still feel the faint imprint of a warm hand on his back, and with a jolt of surprise, realized that since the man had touched him, he hadn't had the least bit of trouble breathing.

* * *

Over the next few days, the three boys developed ever more elaborate theories about the man's identity and how he might know Luffy. Usopp favored the theory that Luffy was an alien, and the man had been sent from his home planet to help Luffy achieve his destiny. Once he was strong enough, the ghost ship would take Luffy home to free his people, who had been enslaved by evil aliens that resembled giant bugs and lived off people's dreams. And of course, Luffy would need his best human friend Usopp, who would graciously lend his aid, as a man should.

Tony thought that maybe the man was Luffy's grandfather, or someone else he'd known when very young, who had stayed in this world after death to watch over him. "And maybe he couldn't appear to you before you arrived here," he said. "This island probably has a stronger connection to the spirit world and that kind of thing. It might make it easier."

Luffy didn't know what he thought. The theories were fun to talk about, but the only thing Luffy was fairly sure of was that his strange dreams were connected somehow. Ever since that day, his nights had been increasingly filled with scenes so vivid, he could no longer think of them as simple dreams. And the more he saw, the more he was convinced the deep voice he'd heard belonged to one of the shadowy figures that populated this other world. Not Sanji, of course, or Usopp, or Robin, or the Nami-girl. Possibly he was the strange gorilla-creature? But the hands that had touched him on the beach hadn't felt furry. There were other faces, faces he still couldn't see clearly, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe one of these was the owner of the mystery voice. If he could just speak to the man again, maybe he could figure it out. But the grounds remained stubbornly mist-free, the clear sunny skies Luffy would once have been so happy to see seeming to mock his unsatisfied curiosity.

While Luffy's nights were restless, his days, aside from the mystery still gnawing at him, were better than ever before. His health was excellent, his temperature remaining stable and his breathing strong and steady. He didn't have so much as a runny nose. Whatever the mystery man had done to him, the effects continued to linger, and Luffy was grateful. He was outside almost constantly, exploring the grounds, the forest, even wading into the bay once or twice when Nami wasn't looking. And at long last, he was allowed to see the rest of the island. One day, the boys piled into the car and Robin took them into town, where Usopp and Tony proudly showed Luffy all their favorite places. They went to the library where Robin worked, looked in the windows of all the shops, then stopped at a popular spot on the beach, where they visited a little place that Usopp assured Luffy had the best ice cream in the world. After a few licks, Luffy readily agreed that Usopp probably knew what he was talking about.

Another day, they headed for the country. Luffy wanted to visit the wine spring Usopp had told him about, but Robin hadn't thought climbing a mountain was something Luffy should be doing, even with his improved health. "Even if the legend _were_ true," she said, "there is no guarantee that it would change today, and we are most certainly not staying out until midnight." The skies had been clear and storm-free as well, but Luffy still insisted on going to the north shore, just in case whatever lady that might be haunting it decided to make an exception and tell him his future anyway. She didn't.

On the way back, they stopped at a few of the island's farms. Luffy had never had fresh milk before; he couldn't believe how sweet and delicious it was. The fruit, vegetables, and meat were similarly tasty, and he made sure to bring some back for Sanji to use. After all, if it was this good on its own, how much more amazing would it be after being prepared by the best chef in the world? But food wasn't the only thing on Luffy's mind. The boys also checked the hoofprints of the farm animals against their memory of the tracks they'd found in the forest. As Robin had said, the cows' hooves were much bigger, and while the goats and sheep were closer, the shape was slightly off from Luffy's mental image of the prints.

That night, Luffy was more than ready to fall into bed. He was more tired than he'd been for a long time, but it was a good kind of tired. It felt natural – not a product of a weak body, but the simple exhaustion that any normal person might feel after such a long and exciting day. He drifted off, and for once, his sleep was quiet, his dreams ordinary dreams.


	9. Dreams

"…ffy. Hey, Luffy!" Usopp's voice sounded distant, and strangely garbled, as if Luffy were hearing him from underwater.

Slowly Luffy shook himself out of the daze he was in, refocusing himself in the present and glancing up at Usopp. The other boy was sitting across the table, a worried frown on his face. "Huh? What's up, Usopp?" Luffy asked him, blinking to clear his vision.

"…Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it, y'know? You're not even eating. Are you getting sick again?"

Luffy's gaze dropped to the table and the nearly-untouched plate of breakfast in front of him. "…M'fine," he mumbled.

"You look terrible!" Tony was perched at the edge of his seat, his face a picture of concern. "Something's wrong, right? You can tell us!"

Luffy bit his lip. "I…" He wasn't sure what to say; wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to say anything. The dreams had returned after that one night of peace, and they had gotten increasingly vivid, to the point that it sometimes took Luffy a while to remember which world was dream and which was reality. And they weren't always pleasant. More and more, he'd had dreams of being hurt, of seeing his friends hurt. There were battles, lots of battles. People trying to kill him or others with swords, guns, poison – and strange abilities that even Luffy's over-imaginative mind knew couldn't really exist in the world. Sometimes he only saw pieces. Occasionally, he would get to see the outcome of a battle, and at these times, he was slightly reassured to see that he and his friends were all right and had managed to save…whatever it was they'd been fighting for. Their reasons were rarely clear to him, but they'd won, and that was good, right?

But sometimes they didn't win. Sometimes bad things happened, and there wasn't a way to pick himself up and make things right again. Once, someone had died right in his arms – Luffy hadn't been able to make out the face, but he knew this person meant the world to him and he could feel his heart breaking as he watched. Even the dreams which contained good things were becoming hard to bear. Each time, everything was brighter, louder, overwhelming his senses and draining his energy.

Luffy's nights alternated between constantly jolting awake, often with the sound of his screams echoing in his ears, and a sleep so deep he felt trapped in the dreams and couldn't seem to wake up no matter how hard he tried. Both left him equally exhausted, and whatever boost to his health he had received from the mysterious man finally seemed to be wearing off. He felt weak, his head fuzzy, and even Sanji's excellent cooking couldn't inspire him to eat much.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Usopp's voice cut into his thoughts and Luffy dragged his attention back to the other side of the table with an effort.

"I…" He didn't want to lie to his friends; they'd listened about the man, hadn't they? Besides, maybe it would help to talk about it. Maybe if the dreams weren't all bottled up in his head, they'd go away – or at least be less intense. "I'm having dreams," he said at last.

"Bad dreams?" Tony asked.

"Sometimes. Sometimes they're good. But they aren't like normal dreams. Even the nice ones make me feel all tired after." Slowly he explained the things he'd seen: the battles, the strange powers, the people who looked like them. _Had_ there been one who looked like Tony? Now he thought about it, he didn't think so – but he was sure the boy was there, all the same.

Usopp and Tony were staring at him with a mixture of worry and excitement. "We're all in them?" Usopp whispered. "Me and Tony and Brook and Nami and everybody?"

Luffy nodded. Brook was one of the faces he couldn't see clearly, and the musician seemed even thinner than he was now – quite a feat – but Luffy could still tell it was him. "Even your dad, Usopp," he said. "But I don't think he's your dad in the dreams."

"And you're sure the mystery voice is in them too?" Tony asked.

"Yeah." Luffy glanced out the window towards the bay. "I can't see his face, but I know he's there."

"Do you…do you think he might be causing this?" Usopp asked in a near-whisper. "Maybe he's not a nice guy like we thought. He could be trying to hurt you!"

"He wouldn't hurt me." Luffy was completely sure of this. The mysterious man hurting him purposely would be like a fish refusing to live in water – it just couldn't happen. "I know he's involved in it somehow, but…it doesn't mean he's sending the dreams."

"Even if that's true, maybe he could do something! If you could talk to him about it—"

"I can't," Luffy said in frustration. "There hasn't been any mist at all since that day. I've been down there lots of times, but nothing's happened."

"You gotta keep trying, then!" Usopp said. "If these dreams keep getting worse, you're going to make yourself really sick! And then even if it _does_ get misty, you won't be able to go down to see him."

"You could try talking to him even without the mist, Luffy," Tony chipped in. "It's not always natural mist, right? Sometimes it comes and goes really quickly. Maybe he can choose when it shows up, and if you can get his attention somehow, he'll come!"

* * *

His friends were right, Luffy decided. He'd had enough. Whatever was causing these dreams needed to be dealt with somehow, and the ghost ship and its mysterious inhabitant were the only lead he had. He'd go down every day, every hour if he had to, until a response came. That evening, just as the sun was starting to slip out of sight, Luffy made his way down to the bay. He'd had to sneak out again; Nami had taken one look at his flushed face that morning and confined him to the mansion, with further threats to restrict him to his room if his condition worsened.

He moved quickly down the path, skirting the edge of the garden and trying to stay out of sight. As he passed the summerhouse, he tensed, but it was empty – Franky being busy with something up at the mansion and no one else having a reason to go there when Luffy wasn't using it. At last his feet hit sand. He was nearly running by now, desperate to speak to the man again. He stopped at the edge of the water, the waves brushing against his toes.

Luffy took a deep breath. "HEY!" His voice echoed across the water. "I need to talk to you!"

Nothing happened. The sky remained clear, the golden reds of sunset fading into twilight.

"I know you're out there! Answer me!"

Still nothing. A soft breeze stirred Luffy's hair, but there was not even the faintest hint of mist.

"I…" Luffy's voice was quieter now, desperation lacing the words. "I'm having dreams. Dreams about you, and others…people who I know here, but they're not the same, people I still can't see…" He scrubbed a fist across his eyes. "And the dreams keep getting stronger. I don't know what's gonna happen if they don't stop."

He looked out at the bay, voice rising back to a shout. "I know you're connected somehow! What do I do? What do you want from me? Why am I having these dreams?"

Luffy tried for another half hour, but there was no response. At last he trudged back up to the house, tired and discouraged and only just managing to avoid being caught by Nami on the way in. He had no appetite at dinner and barely resisted when Nami put him to bed early. He didn't want to sleep, didn't want to dream again, but his tired, ill body overruled the objections of his mind, and soon he was dropping off.

* * *

_He knew at once that this was different from the other dreams. There were no friends, no ship, no islands, no battles. He stood in darkness; the only sounds were his racing heartbeat and nervous breaths. "Hello?" he called at last. "Is someone there?" At first, it seemed nothing had changed, but gradually he thought he could detect a faint lightening of the inky black surrounding him. Was it his imagination?_

_"Why am I here?" he shouted into the dark. "What is this place?"_

_It definitely wasn't his imagination. The sky – or whatever it was that was surrounding him – was definitely getting brighter. A warm orange-red glow was coming from somewhere; he couldn't seem to pin down the direction but somehow knew it was moving towards him. And suddenly a voice broke the silence, startling him._

_"These past few weeks have been pretty hard on you, eh, Luffy?" The voice held a note of sympathy. It sounded as if the speaker was directly in front of him, but Luffy couldn't see anyone._

_He knew the voice, though. It was a man's voice, but it didn't belong to the mystery man from the ship. He couldn't place it to any face he'd seen, either in or out of the dreams, but it was familiar all the same, and he trusted it instantly. "Who are you?" he asked._

_"Typical Luffy, always curious. Maybe I'm your guardian angel?" There was a pause as the voice considered, then came a short laugh. "Nah, that sounds stupid. Can you picture me with a halo and fluffy white wings? Ha! And there's another guy who'd probably have a better claim to the title right now, anyway. But you were in trouble, so I had to do something, right?"_

_"Why? Why would you care if I was in trouble?"_

_A hand ruffled Luffy's hair, though he still couldn't see anything. "Let's just say that bonds between some people really do last forever," the voice said. "I'll always care what happens to you, Luffy."_

_Luffy swallowed. He felt tears pricking his eyes at the words, and wished he could remember how he knew this unseen person. He was sure it was important. "I'm in trouble…'cause of the dreams, right? Why am I seeing this stuff? Why does it feel so real?"_

_"Those're big questions, Luffy," said the voice. "And once you know the answers, you can't take them back. You could just make the dreams go away, you know. I could help you."_

_"No!" Luffy scowled. "I want to know. I can't let this stuff bother me any more."_

_"You sure this is what you want?" the voice asked. "Are you sure you're ready to know?"_

_"YES! TELL ME ALREADY!" Luffy shouted._

_The voice laughed again, longer this time, and the sound made Luffy grin in spite of his impatience. "Just what I'd expect from you. All right, then. Good luck." Warm hands touched his face, and Luffy felt another forehead pressed to his. "Be happy, little brother." And then the hands pulled back, and Luffy caught just a glimpse of dark hair and a freckled face before the fiery glow faded, and the darkness swallowed him again._

* * *

Luffy bolted upright, gasping for breath. _What was_ that _?_ That hadn't been like the other dreams at all. And that voice,,,who was it? He had called him "brother," but as far as Luffy knew, he was an only child. And why had he just _left_ like that? _I thought he was gonna tell me about the dreams,_ Luffy thought, irritated. _He shouldn't tease me like that and then disappear!_

He was pulled from his thoughts abruptly as a curious sensation brushed against his mind. His head snapped towards the window. _Is it the ship?_ He wasn't sure. It didn't feel like the same tugging he'd felt before. This was lighter – a polite invitation rather than an insistent call. Luffy knew that if he lay down to sleep again, the presence would retreat. Instead, he hurriedly struggled to throw the covers off and make his way to the window. He looked out.

Everything was bathed in silver. Moonlight streamed across the grounds, lighting up the garden, the summerhouse…the bay was silver, too, but even from this distance Luffy felt sure that there was more than moonlight there. The mist had returned at last. He was about to head for the door, preparing to run as quickly as he could, when a gleam of brighter silver from near the forest caught his eye.

Something was moving. Luffy watched carefully, and saw that it was an animal of some kind, standing proudly on all fours. Luffy had the distinct impression that it was staring at him. Its head bobbed, and he saw that something else moved with it, attached to the head. Was it a horn? _The unicorn?_ He couldn't be sure. The shape seemed too wide and branching, but maybe there were unicorns with horns like that. Whatever it was, though, there was something undeniably magical about the creature.

Its head dipped again, and this time there was an accompanying tug from the gentle presence in his mind. _It's waiting for me,_ he realized. He paused for a moment longer, afraid the creature would disappear if he looked away, then turned quickly in a mad dash for the door.

* * *

Luffy made it out of the house undetected despite his haste. _It's a good thing that even Nami has to sleep sometimes,_ he thought. He came in sight of the forest and had an instant of panic when the animal was no longer standing there. But he could still feel the gentle pressure, and a moment later, he saw it. It had stepped back into the trees, and as soon as Luffy locked on to the silvery form, it turned and headed deeper into the woods. Luffy followed quickly, not wanting to lose sight of it again.

The unicorn – if that's what it was – never let Luffy catch up to it, but it moved just slowly enough that Luffy could follow its trail. They were so deep in the forest now that very little light should have penetrated the thick canopy, but somehow the creature still had a silvery glow about it, and Luffy found he could see the path ahead without much difficulty.

He wasn't sure how long the unicorn had been leading him. It could have been minutes, or hours. Luffy felt as if he was standing outside of time, and if he'd been told a thousand years would have passed by the time he returned to the world, it wouldn't be unbelievable. But even in this magical setting, his body had its limits, and he was beginning to feel tired as he stepped into a small clearing filled with moonlight. As his feet hit the soft grass, the quiet presence in the back of his mind faded, and looking around, he saw the unicorn was gone. He stood still, hoping it would reappear, but everything was still. Luffy waited, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do next, when he noticed for the first time the object in the center of the clearing.

It was a rock; moderately large and gleaming almost white under the moonlight. Luffy approached it slowly. He wasn't sure why the unicorn had thought he needed to see a rock, but something told him that this was what it had been leading him to. Luffy circled the rock, inspecting it carefully. On the far side, near where the unicorn had disappeared, he found what had to be his clue. There was a mark carved into the stone – the edges worn with time, but the design still clear enough to make out.

It was a Jolly Roger; a very familiar Jolly Roger. Hesitantly Luffy reached out and ran his fingers over the grinning skull, the brim of the hat that had been yellow as straw when he'd seen it on the sail of the ghost ship. His breath caught, and his vision blurred as unbidden tears sprang to his eyes. The sudden rush of emotion nearly made him miss the second mark, but as his fingers slid off the stone, Luffy saw that an arrow had been carved beneath the skull, pointing to the ground in front of the rock.

His eyes widened. _Something's buried here!_ Perhaps it was treasure, but Luffy didn't think the unicorn would have led him here for simple gold and jewels (though at least Nami would be happy if that's what it was). He cast around frantically for something to dig with. His hands landed on a sturdy branch, and he set to work.

It was hard going. The branch he'd found did not make for the best shovel, and Luffy's frail body was both unused to manual labor and already tired from his trek through the woods. He knew it might be smarter to find help, or at least a proper shovel, but whatever was here was incredibly important, he could feel it, and somehow he knew that if he walked away from the clearing now, he wouldn't be able to find it again.

So he continued. His breaths came in gasps, his limbs were shaking, but he dug his branch into the ground again and again, and slowly, the hole grew. _I have to make it,_ he told himself repeatedly. _I have to reach whatever is here…they're counting on me._ He couldn't have said who "they" were, exactly. The unicorn? The ghost ship and its guardian? The mysterious figures that populated his dreams? It didn't matter. He would dig until he found whatever was here, and that was all there was to it.


	10. Treasure

_Up, down, scrape…up, down, scrape…_ Luffy felt as if his entire world had been reduced to the patch of earth in front of him. He had stopped a few times to rest in the beginning, but his strength was so far gone now that if he relaxed, if he lost his focus for even an instant, he knew he wouldn't be able to continue. His hands were rubbed raw and bleeding, his entire body trembling with fatigue, but his fiery determination wouldn't let him quit.

_Up, down, scrape…up, down, scrape…up, down…thunk._ The branch abruptly made contact with something solid, and the impact sent his makeshift shovel tumbling from his hands. Luffy thrust his numb, aching fingers into the hole and scraped at the dirt around the object. A few minutes later, he had it out.

It was a small square box. The design was plain but elegant, and it looked old. It was firmly shut, but there was no lock, and Luffy pried it open with shaking hands. Inside were two items – a folded note, and an object wrapped in soft cloth. Luffy's eyes fixed on the note. There was a name written on it. _His_ name. Slowly, he reached out and took it. Even preserved in the box as it had been, the paper was nearly falling to pieces, and Luffy tried to control the trembling in his limbs as he gently unfolded it. The bright moonlight was just sufficient to see the faded writing, and Luffy began to read.

_Luffy,_

_If you're reading this I guess you finally came back. Took you long enough, idiot. Thought I'd leave this in case you have trouble finding me. Things are going to be changing for me soon, I think. But I gave you my word, Luffy, and I won't let you down. Whatever happens, however long it takes, I'll be here._

_The things in this box are a treasure of mine. I know you understand the importance of that word. They're small, but they've seen a lot. Holding them now, I can feel the memories. Will you, I wonder? You left one of your treasures with me, and now I'm returning the favor. Take care of them for me. Maybe you'll give them back someday._

Tears splashed onto the page as Luffy came to the end of the message. There was no signature. What was all this? He _couldn't_ be the same Luffy this had been addressed to; it was impossible! And yet he knew it was meant for him. Why didn't he remember any of this? How could something this big be forgotten? His eyes moved to the bundle of cloth. _Memories._ Setting the note carefully aside, he reached out and picked up the small package. The tinkle of metal came from inside as he held it in front of him. Slowly, he began to unwind the wrapping.

The last fold of cloth fell away, and the moonlight reflected off the surface of three small metallic objects. _Earrings,_ Luffy decided after a moment's examination. He thought they were gold, though in the silvery light it was hard to be certain. _He said these had memories in them._ He slowly tipped the cloth, and the earrings fell into his hand with a soft clinking sound.

As the last one touched his skin, a sudden shudder ran through him. One fist clenched tightly around the gold as his hands flew to his head. His eyes were stretched wide, gaze darting around the clearing but taking in none of it. He felt more than saw a great wall in his mind, one he hadn't even known was there, and sensed the cracks forming in it, spreading swiftly along its length. A hoarse scream tore from his throat as he doubled over. And then the wall crumbled to dust. As his body went limp, Luffy felt his mind pulled away, dragged back to another time, another place…

* * *

_"Another world?" Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy leaned forward excitedly. "There's really a whole other world separate from this one? And we can get there?"_

_"That's what we heard," Nami said. "It's supposed to be pretty different from ours."_

_"All right, let's go!"_

_"Hold on, Luffy," Usopp said. "I know how you are about adventures, but maybe we should think this one through a little more. It might be dangerous! We don't even know what we'd have to do to get there."_

_Luffy pouted. "But I wanna see it!"_

_"We made it all the way through the Grand Line," Zoro spoke up from the corner of the room. "You could say that a new world would be the logical next step."_

_"If the captain wants to go, we've got no choice," Sanji said. "Who knows how much trouble this idiot would get into without us."_

_"It would certainly be interesting," Robin said. "An entire world of unknown history, waiting to be discovered..."_

_In the end, any objections were overruled, and they set off to meet the man who claimed he could open a portal that would lead them out of the world they knew and into a new one._

_"You should be careful," he said. "This world doesn't have the sort of things you're used to. Magic and the supernatural exist only in a few scattered places. The people there haven't seen strange powers like the devil fruit, and they might not be so accepting. It would be best not to stand out too much."_

_"You don't know Luffy," Nami said with a fond sigh of exasperation. "He draws attention wherever he goes, even if he's trying to be quiet."_

_"_ Especially _if he's trying to be quiet," Sanji muttered._

_The man shrugged. "It was simply a suggestion. Whether or not you listen is up to you." His face grew more serious. "This, however, is not. The passage between worlds requires life energy to maintain it. Once you pass through, one of your crew will need to remain within ten kilometers of the portal, or it will close permanently and you will be unable to return."_

_"We…we have to leave someone behind?" Chopper looked on the edge of tears already._

_"Hey," said Franky. "When you say it requires life…what's this going to do to whoever stays? They gonna be okay?"_

_"Oh yes," the man assured them. "They will simply function as a link between our world and the new one, along with the ship."_

_"Wait, we have to leave the ship, too?" Nami was startled._

_"Your ship will carry the activation sequence for the portal. While you could take it with you, I suppose, it would be most unwise. If the mechanism were to be damaged in your travels, you would have no way back."_

_"I understand." Luffy's face was unusually solemn. Leaving the Sunny behind, as well as a member of the crew, was not an easy sacrifice. But he'd made up his mind to see this other world, and he wouldn't just quit now that they'd come this far. "Old man, we gotta talk about this. We'll be back."_

* * *

_The discussion had been brief._

_"Let's just forget this, Luffy!" Usopp's voice was pleading. "This other world doesn't sound like fun to me. Is this really such a big deal that you'd leave one of us behind? And Sunny, too?"_

_Luffy frowned. "I don't want to leave anybody," he said. "But…I've decided to see this place. So we're going. And then we'll come back, all of us."_

_Usopp's shoulders slumped in defeat. He'd known Luffy wouldn't give up on the trip just like that, once the scientist had assured them that the one holding the link wouldn't be hurt by it. "Then…then I'll stay with Sunny!" he said loudly. "I, the Great Captain Usopp, will bravely protect our way home."_

_"Not happening," Nami told him. "We don't know what the land where we come out will be like. There might be trouble. Whoever stays will have to keep the ship safe as well, and we don't need you running at the first sign of trouble and breaking the link!"_

_"I wouldn't do that!" Usopp said, offended. "I'm a brave warrior of the sea, remember? Warriors don't run from danger!"_

_"No offense, Usopp, but I don't feel like betting all our lives on your newly-acquired sense of courage," came Nami's flat reply._

_"Yohohoho! Perhaps I should perform this task," Brook offered. "I am experienced in guarding lonely ships, after all." There was a faint hint of sadness in the skeleton's voice, though he hid it well._

_"No way we'd ask you to go through something like that again, bro," Franky told him, and the rest of the crew added their agreement. Brook backed down without further protest, and everyone could see the relief written on his face, even without the facial expressions to show it._

_With a sigh, Zoro spoke up. "I'll do it. It's got to be someone strong, right? A break from all the craziness Luffy gets up to might not be so bad. I can keep the ship safe, no problem."_

_"Zoro…" Luffy could hardly imagine going on such a big adventure without the swordsman; he'd been with him from the beginning, stuck with him through everything they'd faced as a crew._

_"You want to go, right, Luffy?" Zoro looked at his captain. "I'll make sure Sunny and the way home are waiting when you come back. I can join you on the next adventure."_

_There wasn't much more to say after that. Sanji half-heartedly attempted to take his place – no doubt hoping that Nami and Robin would be impressed by his selflessness – but Zoro roughly pointed out that the crew would need a cook – however crappy – and that staying could possibly mean years with little or no company – including the female kind. Sanji quickly backed down, and no one else tried to argue._

* * *

_It took a week for the_ Thousand Sunny _to be prepared to make the trip. They were all secretly glad for the extra time together. Even Luffy, as much as he wanted to explore the other world, was in no hurry to say goodbye to Zoro. The scientist had kicked them off the ship for the week, saying that he couldn't complete the preparations with them traipsing around the deck all day. So they treated the time as a mini-vacation, exploring forests, beaches, and the island's small city, sticking together as much as possible. Zoro and Sanji fought more than usual, which Nami said was their way of saying goodbye._

_Finally the day of departure arrived, and the scientist led them to their ship. They all stared at the strange black markings and delicate-looking crystals and instruments that covered a large portion of the deck. Franky seemed to be twitching slightly, and the others could tell the cyborg would like nothing more than to remove the clutter and return his precious creation to normal._

_The scientist took them through a brief explanation of how the array worked and what they could expect during the trip through the portal. Nami and Robin listened carefully. The others tried, but it didn't take long before Luffy became bored and went to examine the array, and they were soon occupied with ensuring their captain didn't break anything._

_The ship was moved to a set of coordinates just off the island, the scientist following them in his large boat that contained the main equipment for opening the portal. Zoro had been directed to stand at a certain spot inside the array, with instructions not to step away until they passed through the other side of the portal. As the scientist began activating the machinery, he called out to the Straw Hats._

_"Last chance to change your mind!"_

_"Just hurry up and zap us or whatever, old man!" Luffy shouted back. "I want to go already!"_

_"You heard the captain," Sanji said. "Let's get this over with."_

_The man chuckled. "Good luck then, Straw Hat Luffy." And with a grin, he fired. The beam hit the array on Sunny's deck, which sprang to life, the markings and crystals lighting up the ship. The light grew brighter and brighter, and just when the crew thought they would no longer be able to look, it coalesced into a beam of its own, shooting forward to a spot a short distance in front of the ship. At first, it seemed the beam was simply disappearing into nothing, but slowly, a dark patch became visible. The spot grew until it was almost twice the size of the Sunny. The crew couldn't see anything on the other side, just darkness and swirling mist._

_The beam abruptly cut off. "Get going, then!" the scientist shouted. "It'll start to close now, you don't have much time!"_

_The crew sprang into action, guiding the ship forward towards the portal. "Thanks, old man!" Luffy called out, just before they entered the swirling darkness. "We'll tell you all about it when we get back!"_

* * *

_Afterwards, no one could have said how long they were inside the portal. Silvery mist was all around them, hiding the deeper darkness beyond. Occasionally there were strange flashes of color, gone before they could get a real look at them. The air was cold, yet their bodies tingled with an almost electric excitement._

_It felt like they'd always been here, in this strange in-between place; yet when a glimmer of light appeared in front of them, their first thought was surprise that they'd come to the exit so soon. The light quickly grew larger, resolving into a shimmering door of space, and the Sunny burst through. While there had been barely a whisper from the portal as they left their world, this side let them out with a massive shockwave that knocked most of the crew off their feet. Slowly they righted themselves and looked around, getting their first view of another world._

_At first glance it seemed little different from their own. The Sunny had arrived in a small bay, and past the sandy shore they could see soft green fields and lush forests. In the distance, there were several tall hills that looked as if they would quite like to be mountains when they grew up. The weather was warm and pleasant, a soft breeze keeping the air just cool enough to be comfortable._

_Luffy ran for the side of the ship. "Wow, so cool! Nami, get us closer!"_

_"Yes, yes, I know," she said, already directing the others to assist with bringing the ship closer to the shore. Zoro grumpily asked if he was allowed to move yet. "It should be fine," Nami told him. "We've made it through now, right? Make yourself useful and lower the anchor."_

_After the Sunny was secured, the crew headed to shore to join Luffy – who had rocketed to land the moment they were within range – and set off to explore the island. They kept a close eye on Zoro. They couldn't afford for him to get lost and wander outside the ten kilometer safe zone. Surprisingly, their concern was unnecessary – Zoro seemed to sense when he was approaching the limit, and they concluded that it was a result of the process that had connected him to the portal. This still gave him access to a fair bit of the island. They explored as much of it as they could with his company, and told him all about the parts of it he was unable to join them for._

_The trees were strong and plentiful, if not quite up to the standards of the Sunny's Adam Wood, and soon Franky was hard at work on the ship that would carry them through this new world. He had had to be less ambitious with this one. Upon visiting the island's small village, they had learned that cola was unheard of in this world – or at least on this island. Until the cyborg found another substance to use for power, they would have to conserve their remaining supplies of the stuff – and that meant no elaborate cannons or other machinery. Still, it was Franky, and the new ship would no doubt have a few surprises in store for them regardless._

_They delayed their departure as long as possible, exploring every last inch of the island and taking longer than was strictly necessary to restock supplies and make sure the new ship was as ready as she could be, until one day Zoro finally lost his patience._

_"Would you idiots get going?" he growled at them. "I'm already getting tired of this place and you've only explored one island! Hurry up and leave so I can have some peace and quiet and we can go home sooner."_

_And so the Straw Hats set off the next day. Chopper and Franky were in tears, and even Luffy's eyes were a bit wet, though the rising excitement mounting inside him had a broad grin popping onto his face as well. He managed, with difficulty, to adopt a reasonably solemn expression as he pulled Zoro aside, just before they left._

_"Here," the captain said, and deposited his precious straw hat into Zoro's confused hands._

_"Luffy…what are you doing?" Zoro asked._

_"I want you to look after my treasure for me," Luffy said. "It…needs to stay here." He wasn't entirely sure himself why this was so, but something told him not to take it with him, and Luffy had long ago learned to listen to his instincts. "You know I'll come back for it, so keep it safe till then, 'kay?"_

_A somewhat puzzled Zoro had nevertheless accepted the charge, assuring Luffy that it would be waiting upon his return, and the rest of the crew boarded the new ship and prepared to sail._

_"SEE YOU, ZORO!" luffy called as they moved off across the water, a grin once again stretching his face. "Take care of the ship! We'll come back soon, I promise!"_

* * *

_We couldn't keep that promise_ , Luffy thought miserably, his body still shuddering with the shock of remembering. _The old man was right. Things like devil fruit or Haki…they're not meant to be in this world. This world doesn't like stuff that doesn't fit its view of 'normal'._ They had learned that the hard way, and paid the ultimate price for it.

* * *

_At first things seemed to be going well – the scenery was beautiful, the sailing smooth, and the people friendly enough. Until they had caught sight of the more unusual-looking Straw Hats. They were nervous around Chopper, his cute and harmless appearance warring with their fear of the unnatural. Franky simply terrified them – the technology level of this world was several centuries behind the one the crew had left, and the cyborg's metal parts were something they could not understand. Brook, perhaps, had it worst. He was viewed instantly as a demon, and in the process of defending him, the crew's devil fruit powers had been revealed. They had had little choice but to leave after that, hoping to find a friendlier port at their next stop._

_But things were the same almost everywhere they went, and as time went on, they discovered the problem was worse than they'd thought. Not just the people, but the land itself seemed to be turning against their unnaturalness. Four months into their journey, Luffy noticed that his arms were a little harder to stretch than usual, his stomach slightly more reluctant to expand to accommodate his large meals. And he wasn't the only one. Within a few weeks, Robin could barely bloom more than a few arms, Chopper was unable to assume more than his three usual forms – and those only with great difficulty – and Brook seemed listless, as if all his energy was being sapped. The members of the crew who could use Haki found their control slipping, their range and power greatly diminished. It was obvious to everyone – their powers were dying._

_They determined that the only thing which might reverse the process was to return to their own world. Luffy was reluctant to abandon the journey when there was so much more world out there to explore, but the safety of his friends came first, always. He gave the order to turn back._

_Even with the most direct route possible, the crew was worried they would not make it to the island in time. Their strength was failing fast now, and rumors had started to circulate of a ship carrying a crew of monsters. Anyone who suspected who they were attacked, and it became harder and harder to resupply._

_One day they stopped at a small island that was uninhabited save for a tiny village on the east shore. Within a few hours of landing, the crew began to feel a little better, especially those with devil fruit powers. There was a sense of magic in the air, and it felt more like home than any place they'd been since coming here, besides the island where Zoro and Sunny waited. Robin remembered what the scientist had said about the supernatural only existing in a few places in this world, and concluded that this must be one of them. The locals were wary, but did not possess the same fear and hatred they had encountered in others._

_They could not remain for long, however. The island's food sources were limited, and even Luffy's reduced appetite would do serious damage to the village's supply. And the longer they stayed in one place, the more likely they would be found by one of the many ships now actively trying to hunt them down. So after only three days, they set sail, hoping they would make it in time, hoping they would find another place with magic along the way to gain a little more strength._

* * *

_But we didn't. We got weaker and weaker…and then they found us. There were so many ships, and we tried, we fought as hard as we could, but we were so weak! They were everywhere…there was so much blood…I couldn't stop them!_

_We...died._ Luffy shivered and bit back a scream as the last minutes of his crew, of himself, replayed in his mind. _All of us._ _We were coming back, we were so close! But we died. Everyone…I'm so sorry. If I hadn't…_ He dragged himself to a kneeling position, his breathing harsh with misery and choked sobs. His hands twitched, and he looked down. Dazedly, he opened his fist and stared at the three golden earrings; _Zoro's_ earrings. _…Zoro!_ His eyes flew wide as his mind at last began to put the pieces together. _The ghost ship is_ _Sunny!_ He thought. _It's still there. And Zoro is too, somehow. How many years has it been? How many_ centuries _?_

Luffy lurched to his feet, swaying and shaking but with a desperate fire in his eyes. _I have to find him,_ he thought as he tried to orient himself towards the bay. _Now. I'm coming, Zoro. At last, I'm coming._

* * *

Luffy ran, shoving his way through trees and bushes and paying little attention to his exhausted body and gasping breaths. _Please, let the mist still be there!_ He begged silently. _It has to be there, I_ have _to make it in time…hurry up, legs!_

At last he broke through the edge of the vegetation, throwing himself towards the shore as his eyes frantically scanned the water. The mist was thin, very thin, but it would be enough – it had to be enough! His feet hit sand, then water as Luffy waded in, drawing as much breath as he was able.

"ZORO!" he called, voice echoing across the water. "Zoro! Where are you? Answer me!" Only waves and the echoes of his own cry met his ears. Moonlight glittered from the patches of water visible through the mist. The bay water was cold against his legs, and he shivered.

" _ZORO_!" The end of Luffy's scream was punctuated by a cough, but he plowed on. "Answer me! I know you're there!" He coughed again, staggering in the water. "I know you now, Zoro. I _remember_ you! I remember everything!" Tears fell freely from his face as he wheezed in another breath. "I'm sorry, Zoro. We promised to come back, and we didn't, and I'm so sorry—" Another fit of coughing forced him to break off, and he struggled to draw breath to continue.

"I never wanted you to be alone for so long! I'm sorry for forgetting, for not coming back! For not remembering you before…I'm sorry, Zoro!" Luffy dropped to his knees with a splash as his legs finally gave out. "Please…please answer me. I need to see you, I have to talk to you! I have so much to say to you, so please, please, just _answer me_ , you bastard! _Zoro_!" The coughs were near constant now, his breaths coming in frantic gasps around his chattering teeth, but he continued calling to Zoro as loudly as his weakening body would let him. He felt dizzy, his vision growing black at the edges. _No!_ he thought desperately. _I can't pass out, not now! Not before…_ But it was no use. A final call of Zoro's name, more a soft gasp than anything approaching a shout, and he was slumping, heading face-first into the water.

And then hands caught him, strong arms pulling him back and lifting him into the air. Luffy couldn't move, and his eyes refused to open no matter how much he pleaded with them, but even so, he knew those arms. Just before he succumbed to the darkness, he heard a deep grumble in his ear.

"You never change, do you?" Zoro's voice was full of fond exasperation. "Even without the damn fruit, I still end up fishing you out of the drink."


	11. The Captain and the Swordsman

Luffy woke to the sound of waves and a gentle rocking motion. _Where…?_ He blinked his eyes sleepily, trying to gather his fuzzy thoughts. The ceiling looked low and strange, and the bed, while comfortable, seemed smaller than he was used to. It wasn't his room in the mansion. Nor was it the summerhouse's more modest bedroom. Slowly, he turned his head to the side. His eyes met wooden walls and a row of metal lockers. There was something familiar about them…

The memory of the previous night returned in a flash, and Luffy abruptly sat up, banging his head on the bunk above him. _This is…the men's quarters. I'm on Sunny!_ Rubbing his head, Luffy looked around, taking in the familiar sight. The room was quiet and slightly forlorn, but it still brought a rush of warm recollection: he and his friends laughing, talking, fighting, sleeping… _It's been empty a long time_ , Luffy thought. _Except for…Zoro._ His eyes widened and he swung his legs out of bed. If he was on the Sunny, then Zoro would be here too, somewhere. Before he could rise, however, Luffy's eyes caught on something beside the bunk, and his entire body froze as if he'd been turned to stone.

A small table had been placed beside the bunk, and resting in the middle of the table was a very familiar battered straw hat. Luffy stared at the hat for a solid minute; then, very slowly, he reached out and gently picked it up. It was just as he remembered it, seemingly unaffected by the passage of years. The straw felt warm and comforting under his fingers, and he clutched it to his chest, sniffling a little as he lost himself in the memories.

Some time later, Luffy wiped a hand across his eyes and stood up, still holding the hat. He looked at it, considered putting it on, but dismissed the idea. It didn't feel right to wear it just yet. Not before he'd talked to Zoro. Not when he was so very far from the person he'd been when this hat last belonged to him. He kept it with him all the same as he moved toward the door, swaying slightly. He felt stronger than before, but still weak and shaky from his exertions and the sudden return of his memories.

Luffy opened the door and stepped out. The grass was soft under his bare feet as he moved onto the deck. The first rays of morning sunlight lit up the ship, painting the _Sunny_ in a soft golden glow. Everything was just as they'd left it. The lawn was lush and green, neatly trimmed, and he found himself curious about when Zoro had learned to care for it so well. The man certainly hadn't been a gardener before. _I wonder how Nami's trees are doing…and Robin's flowers, and Usopp's garden…are they still here?_ He stepped forward, looking all around him now. "Zoro?" he called, his voice sounding loud on the quiet ship. "Zoro!"

"I'm here, Luffy," a quiet voice answered from behind him.

Luffy spun around. His eyes frantically searched the deck, but he didn't see his friend. "Where—"

"Here," came the voice, and this time Luffy caught movement, in the shadows beside the stairs leading to the second floor. Zoro's form seemed indistinct, even accounting for the darkness he stood in, and Luffy stepped forward, trying to see him better. "Zoro—" And then his breath caught and he jerked to a halt, his mind finally processing what his eyes had been trying to tell him.

The faintness of Zoro's body was not entirely due to the shadows. As he looked, Luffy's gaze was drawn to the door set beneath the staircase – the door he could still see, though the swordsman stood in front of it. His eyes went wide. _He's…he's a…_ He wasn't sure why it was so shocking; hadn't he been thinking of the ship and its occupant as ghosts all along? But it was different, somehow, now that he remembered…now that he knew the mystery voice was not just some random person, but one of his oldest friends. Luffy's mouth opened and shut several times, trying to speak. "Zoro…" he managed to croak at last.

Zoro grinned and took a step forward, bringing him closer to the light and making his less-than-solid form even more obvious. "I've waited over three hundred years to hear you say my name again. It's good to see you, Luffy."

Luffy could feel himself trembling. "Th…three…hundred years?" he whispered.

"Something like that." Zoro rubbed the back of his head. "Could be four, by now. I kind of lost count after a while, to be honest."

"You…" He swallowed, once again taking in Zoro's insubstantial form. "You…died?"

"I did."

"But you still…you're still here…you kept waiting for us, even after…"

"I made a promise to my captain." Zoro's voice held fierce determination and pride. "And I don't break my promises."

"Zoro…" And Luffy launched himself at his friend. He didn't care that Zoro was a ghost and by all rights he shouldn't be able to touch him. All he knew was that he wanted to give his friend the best hug he possibly could, wanted to do something to try to make up for all the years the man had spent alone. And somehow, his arms met skin and then he was latched on to Zoro, squeezing tightly and sobbing.

"You idiot," Zoro said gently, as he returned Luffy's hug.

They stayed like that for a long time, Luffy too overcome to try for any more words, Zoro patiently waiting for the boy to collect himself. At last, Luffy pulled away and looked up.

"How…how come I can touch you?" he asked. "If you're a…a g-ghost…"

"I prefer 'spirit'," Zoro said with a smirk. "'Ghost' sounds too insubstantial. I can touch stuff if I want to. Just takes a little focus."

Luffy couldn't help grinning a little. "That's so cool…" The spark of excitement he would usually feel at such things was subdued, but still present.

Zoro's smirk grew wider. "Yeah, guess it is. Pain in the ass to learn to do, though."

"I'm sorry, Zoro." The smile slid from Luffy's face as he stared at his friend. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't made us come to this world…I kept you waiting so long…"

Zoro snorted. "You sure did, idiot. Do you have any idea how fucking boring it's been, stuck in the same place by myself all these years?" His eye met Luffy's; his expression was serious, but calm and somehow reassuring. "But…it's not your fault, Luffy. I don't know what the hell happened out there after you guys left, but you're not the sort of person who breaks a promise, either. If you could have made it back any sooner than this, you would have."

"But…But…!" Luffy stepped back from Zoro, suddenly shouting. " _I'm_ the one who wanted to come here! _I_ agreed to leave you behind. When we ran into trouble, I didn't see the signs soon enough. I was the captain; I was supposed to notice stuff like that! If I'd done something differently, maybe we could have made it back in time!" He slammed a fist into the wall. "And then I forgot! How could I forget something as important as this? Even—even if I did die, how could I have forgotten you, and Sunny, and everyone?"

Zoro sighed, stepping forward and lifting a hand to ruffle his captain's hair. "You can't get everything right all the time, Luffy. Hell, it'd be more surprising if you _didn't_ get a lot of things wrong." He tipped Luffy's head up to look the boy in the eye again. "But you didn't do any of that stuff knowing this is the way it'd turn out, right?"

Luffy shook his head.

"Then stop with the guilt already. I don't blame you, and I doubt any of the others would, either. We're here now, and deciding what to do next is more important than obsessing over any past mistakes."

Slowly, Luffy nodded. He knew Zoro wouldn't say something he didn't mean, not when he was serious like this. And if the swordsman didn't blame him for everything that had happened…maybe he could start to move on, too. He moved to step away from the wall – and abruptly found himself swaying on his feet, nearly tipping over.

Zoro reached out, grabbing Luffy's shoulders to steady him. "Right. First thing we do is get you back to bed. You put yourself through a lot of crap last night. I did what I could to help, but I'm no doctor, and you need rest. You weren't asleep for all that long."

"You…helped me? Like…like you did before, when we met and I didn't remember? I felt really good for a long time after that." He looked at Zoro curiously. "What did you do?"

"Yeah, like that," Zoro said. He rubbed the back of his head again. "I'm…not sure what I did, exactly. I just kind of…tried to give you some of my strength. I don't think it's something I can do too often, but I'm glad it helped."

Luffy smiled at him. "It sure did! Nothing the doctors ever did to me worked as well as that."

Zoro was quiet for a moment. "You…see a lot of doctors?"

Luffy nodded, the corners of his mouth tugging downward. "My body…it's not strong like before, Zoro. I can't do the stuff I used to. I get sick a lot. A lot of people thought I would've died by now. I think…" He looked up, the ghost of a smile working its way back onto his face. "I think I made it this far so I could see you again. Because you've been waiting long enough."

"You got that right," Zoro said. He suddenly bent down and gathered Luffy into his arms, lifting his captain's frail body easily. "And there's no way I'm going to lose you now that you're here and you _finally_ remember, so back in you go."

In the men's quarters, Zoro settled Luffy into the bunk, but when he made to step away, Luffy snatched at his hand and pulled him back. "Don't leave," he said, voice already heavy with sleep. "Don't wanna…lose you either."

The straw hat lay by Luffy's side, half-crushed under his other arm. With his free hand, Zoro gently tugged it loose. He placed it back on the table and settled down beside the bunk with a sigh. "S'pose I can deal with it for a bit. I'll be here when you wake up, Luffy. Promise."

"'Kay," Luffy said happily, his eyes already sliding shut. "'Night, Zoro."

"It's morning, idiot," Zoro corrected him – but even half-asleep, Luffy could still hear the smile.

* * *

When Luffy woke this time, there was no confusion; he knew where he was and what had happened. He smiled. The memories seemed to be settling at last. He had dreamed again, but the intensity had gone. The faces were clear, and he could name each one. It had been a nice dream, too – the Sunny at anchor off a sandy beach, while he and his crew played and laughed and ate Sanji's wonderful food.

His hands fisted in the blankets – and Luffy suddenly realized that there was no ghostly hand holding his. Panic shot through him. "Zoro!" he yelled, sitting up quickly but managing to avoid the low ceiling this time.

"Relax," came Zoro's voice from beside him. "I promised I'd be here, didn't I?"

Luffy looked to the side and saw Zoro sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. The tension drained out of him, replaced a moment later by a childish irritation. His lips jutted into a pout. "You let go."

"What are you, a baby?" Zoro sighed. "It's hard to stay solid for so long, all right?" he muttered. "And I didn't leave, so stop complaining."

Luffy rubbed his eyes and began untangling himself from the blankets. "Did I sleep that long?"

"Yeah," Zoro said, moving to stand himself. "Guess you needed it. How're you feeling?"

"Better, I think," Luffy said as he climbed out of the bunk. "Except…I'm kind of hungry." His stomach decided to emphasize the statement with a loud growl.

Zoro shook his head and smirked. "That certainly brings back memories. Well, don't look at me. Food's not something I've had to think about for a long time."

"There isn't _anything_?"

"Doubt it," Zoro headed for the door. "Even if there were, do you really want to try three-hundred-year-old meat?"

Luffy shuddered. He wasn't sure if he'd ever have been _that_ desperate even in his former life, and he certainly wasn't now. All the same, he needed to find something soon. He followed Zoro onto the deck, blinking at the light. "I thought you said I slept a long time," he said. "It's still morning."

"It is. The _next_ morning."

"WHAT?" Luffy stared at the swordsman in shock. "I slept a whole day?"

"Yep," Zoro confirmed. "No surprise you're hungry, really. Especially you."

"So I've been here for over a day already…" Luffy flinched as something occurred to him. "Oh man…Nami's gonna kill me!"

Zoro gave him an amused glance. "She is, huh? What, is she your mom this time around or something?"

"No way!" That image was just _weird_. _Though…I guess she does kind of act like a mother sometimes._ "She's…my nurse."

Zoro grunted. "Must be hell."

"Maybe sometimes…but she does care about me," Luffy said, suddenly feeling guilty. What had Nami thought when she'd found his empty bed? When he hadn't come back that day? Did she think he was lying dead somewhere? "She's probably really worried."

"You'd better get back, then," Zoro said. "I'll bring us to shore." And he abruptly vanished.

Luffy looked around, startled. "Zoro? Where'd you go?"

"Up here," a voice called, and Luffy spun to see his friend looking down at him from the third floor.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Luffy asked excitedly. "Is that another spirit trick?"

"Yeah." Zoro grinned. "You like it?"

"That is so _cool_!" Luffy raced for the stairs. "I wanna do that!"

Zoro shook his head. "Of course you do." He stepped out of sight, and a moment later Luffy could feel Sunny beginning to turn.

By the time he arrived on the third floor and walked over to the helm to join his friend, Luffy's excitement was fading. "Zoro," he said, "I don't want to leave. I finally got to see you again; I don't want to say goodbye."

"Idiot. You think I'm gonna disappear _now_? You can come back."

"But sometimes there wasn't any mist for weeks! I don't want to wait that long!"

"That was before you remembered," Zoro said. "It won't be so hard anymore."

"But Zoro—"

"You can't stay here, Luffy," Zoro cut him off. "You need food, and everyone needs to know you're all right. And…" He glanced back at his captain. "And the others are gonna need you to help them remember."

Luffy's eyes widened. "You think they can remember, too?"

"Why else would all of you be alive again? Why would you all end up on _this_ island together at the same time? You weren't the only one included in that promise to come back, you know."

Luffy could feel his heart beating faster. "If…if everyone remembers…what would happen then? Would we…" he could hardly form the words. "Do you think we'd ever…go back?"

"Well, the portal's still there. I made sure of that. As to whether we use it…" Zoro looked at him. "I don't recall anyone making me captain. That decision is yours, Luffy."

Luffy was silent for a moment. "I don't think it is," he said slowly. "Not completely. Everyone has new lives here. They have parents, maybe brothers or sisters or other friends. I can't just make them leave all that because I said so."

"I suppose," Zoro stared out at the water. "Then it's your job to give them the choice. If you want to go back and they don't – we'll deal with it then. First you have to make them remember."

"How do I do that?" Luffy asked. "It took so much for me to finally remember, how can I—" He broke off as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, maybe those could— crap, where did I put them?" _Did I put them in my pocket?_ Please _don't tell me I dropped them!_ He looked down at his clothes – and for the first time realized they were not the pajamas he had been wearing when he had left the house over a day before. Luffy stared at the familiar red cardigan and blue shorts. Zoro must have changed them after pulling him out of the water. He hadn't even noticed; the clothes had felt so natural.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"My clothes…" Luffy shook his head. "No, wait, that's not important right now. Your earrings! I don't know what happened to them after I remembered. I don't _think_ I dropped them – I knew how important they were – but I can't remember where I put them!"

"Oh, those," Zoro said. "They were in your pocket. I put them in my locker for now. Not like I'll need 'em anytime soon."

"But I think I _do_ ," Luffy said. He met the swordsman's gaze. "Zoro, I remembered when I touched them. Maybe…maybe if the others touch them, they'll remember, too."

"I don't think it'll be that easy," Zoro said. "Luffy, you'd been having dreams for a while before you found the box, right? The earrings aren't a magic spell to restore memories. You were starting to believe before you ever touched the things. If the others aren't ready to consider the possibility, I doubt holding a few bits of gold will do anything."

Luffy turned for the stairs. "I'll make it work," he said, determination in every line of his body. "I'll make sure every one of them remembers."

* * *

Back in the men's quarters, Luffy stared at the row of lockers, one hand reaching out to run lightly along the metal surface. He was tempted to look through them, his especially. Even with everything they had taken with them when they left, there were sure to be plenty of items still inside, each one carrying its own share of memories. But now wasn't the time. He reached for Zoro's locker and pulled it open.

There wasn't much. A stack of clothes, folded in varying degrees of neatness, which clearly hadn't been worn in years. One or two empty bottles of alcohol peeped out from underneath. There were boots, in a similarly neglected state, and a couple of boxes, probably containing smaller or more personal items. Along one side of the locker rested three very familiar swords. _I guess Zoro doesn't have much need for them here,_ he thought, though he noted that all three were clean and in perfect working order. It seemed the swordsman had been keeping up with his training, even after death.

The earrings were lying on a shelf at the front, half-wrapped in cloth. Luffy pulled his gaze from the swords and reached out. The gold tingled in his hand as he gathered them up. Zoro might be right that simply touching them wouldn't be enough, but there _was_ some sort of energy in the earrings all the same. _They'll help,_ Luffy thought as he turned to leave the room. _I know they will._

He arrived back on deck just as Sunny neared the shore. Zoro scooped Luffy up and leapt, bounding off the rail of the ship and easily clearing the water, landing smoothly on the sandy ground of the beach. "You okay?" he asked as he set the boy back on his feet.

Luffy nodded and straightened, turning to look his first mate in the eye. "I'll come back, Zoro," he said. "And I won't make you wait so long this time. I promise."

Zoro shot him a confident grin. "I know. Now get going." And he vanished, reappearing a moment later on Sunny's deck.

Luffy waved and watched as the ship moved away, its form gradually growing fainter. And then he blinked, and it was gone, the mist clearing as sunlight lit up the water of the bay. "I'll come back," he repeated. He squeezed the earrings in his hand and turned for the house. "We all will."


	12. Remembering

Luffy didn't even make it halfway to the mansion before he was spotted.

The dewy grass felt cool and refreshing on his feet as he ran towards the house, occasionally slowing to duck behind a bush or a rock. He was hoping to get to Usopp before Nami or one of the other adults caught him. Luffy had decided that the sniper would be the best choice to start with; he had been the first one to tell Luffy the story of the ghost ship, after all. He had seen it himself, more than once, and even heard Zoro singing. Hopefully it wouldn't take much to convince Usopp of the truth. _And then the earrings will do the rest,_ he thought, grinning.

Luffy allowed himself to relax slightly as he reached the edge of the garden. Between the thick plants and the walls that Franky had built around it, he should be able to get quite close to the mansion without being spotted now. He crept forward, looking for the back gate that he knew was somewhere nearby—

And then a large hand landed on his shoulder. "Yo, kid," Franky said. "You got some explaining to do."

In that moment, Luffy was very glad that with all his body's problems, heart trouble had never been one of them. He bit back a startled scream and whipped around. "F-Franky," he said in a quavering voice.

In one smooth motion, Franky had hoisted Luffy off his feet and draped him over his shoulder. "You really did it this time, little bro. Don't think I've ever seen Nami so upset. C'mon, let's get you back."

Luffy gulped. "Y-yeah," he said. "Sorry. I didn't mean…" He trailed off. What was the point of saying anything now? He would need his energy for dealing with Nami and the others. He only hoped he would be able to get one of them alone and in a listening mood. Luffy made sure the earrings were still secure, then relaxed into Franky's grip, letting the man carry him to his fate.

* * *

_Fighting Crocodile sounds like fun right now,_ Luffy thought. _Or an army of zombies, or maybe an admiral or three…yeah, that sounds much better. Can I do that instead?_ He shivered, staring nervously at the orange-haired thundercloud in front of him. Nami appeared almost calm, if you didn't know her well. But Luffy could see the twitching, the pain and smoldering fire in her eyes, and he was beginning to wish he'd made Zoro come along. With the spirit standing right there, they'd have had to believe him. Or if nothing else, he would have had some protection.

"Y-yo, Nami." Luffy tried for a casual tone, as if disappearing for a day and a half was a common occurrence. "What's up?"

"What's up?" she repeated in a calm, quiet voice that had Luffy taking a quick step backwards and bumping into Franky. "I don't know, Luffy. Why don't you tell me?"

"Nami, listen, I can explain—"

"Oh? Sure, why don't you tell us all about it? Why don't you tell us what on _earth_ possessed you to sneak out _again_ and go gallivanting off god-knows-where for AN ENTIRE DAY!" Nami's voice was steadily gaining in volume now. "I'd _really_ love to know what was going on in that brain of yours, because _clearly_ thinking was not on the agenda!"

"I'm sorry," Luffy said. "It was important—"

Quick as lightning, Nami took three steps forward and smacked Luffy hard across the face. He blinked in shock. Nami – this Nami, at any rate – had never hit him before. Never, no matter how angry she'd been.

"You IDIOT!" Nami yelled. "You don't care, do you? Not for our feelings, or even your own life! All that matters to you are your precious _adventures_!" She glared at him, and Luffy could see tears shining in her eyes. "Well fine! Once you're an adult – _if_ you make it that far – you can go running off on any adventure you like! You can go out with a bang! Get yourself killed, see if I care!" She snatched his arm and started hauling him forcibly towards the stairs. "But until then, it's my job to keep you safe, Luffy, and I swear I'll do it if I have to handcuff you to the bed!"

Luffy sighed and allowed himself to be dragged. Nami would probably be one of the hardest to convince, and it was no good trying when she was this upset. Maybe once she'd calmed down he'd be able to get through to her somehow. He rubbed his stinging cheek. She had slapped him, after all. Perhaps her old memories were closer to the surface than he'd thought. As they passed through the hall, he noticed Usopp hiding behind a corner. Luffy caught his eye. " _I need to talk to you,_ " he mouthed, hoping the boy would understand. If he'd spoken aloud, Nami would have heard, and it would only make it more difficult for Usopp to sneak in.

* * *

Nami gave him a thorough check once he was back in his room, refusing to take his word for it that he was fine. She then immediately hustled him into bed, telling him she'd be back with food later and that if he so much as put a toe outside his room she would make good on the handcuff threat. Luffy lay back and let his eyes drift closed. In spite of his long sleep on the Sunny, he felt tired; the emotional tension of dealing with Nami had been draining.

A soft click brought him back to alertness, and he looked up to see Usopp easing himself into the room. He looked nervous, shuffling quickly over to the bed and perching on the edge. "H-hey," he said, eyeing Luffy as though he were made of glass. "You, um, feeling okay?"

Luffy grinned. "Yup, I'm fine! And I have so much to tell you."

Usopp leaned closer. "You mean, about where you went?" he asked. "What happened, Luffy? You just disappeared – everyone was so worried! I thought you might have been eaten by something in the forest!"

Luffy's eyes danced. "I was on the ghost ship, Usopp."

The other boy's mouth fell open. "You…you were _what_?" he choked out. "How…"

So Luffy told him, about how he'd taken Usopp's advice and called to the ship, then the dream with Ace, the unicorn, the box, remembering…and finally the meeting with Zoro and what had happened on board the ship. He held back only the information about Zoro's current condition. Even though Usopp had always seemed to be comfortable with the ghost ship, Luffy knew the boy was almost as scared of ghosts in this life as he'd been before, and he didn't want Usopp's fear to prevent him from remembering.

By the end, Usopp was staring at him, silent and wide-eyed and believing, and Luffy knew it wouldn't take much to get the earrings to work for him now.

"You were the _captain_?" he whispered. "You're a _pirate king_? From another world? And the ship…it's been waiting here for you all this time?"

"Yeah," Luffy said. "And for you, too."

Usopp looked stunned. "Me?"

Luffy nodded. "And Tony and Nami and Robin and everybody. And now that I remember, I gotta help you all remember, too."

The long-nosed boy was shaking slightly. "You…you really think we can? I mean, even if it's true—"

"It's true," Luffy said firmly.

"I'm not saying it isn't! But the rest of us haven't been having dreams or anything – as far as I know, anyway. I've _never_ had anything like that happen. Maybe…" he looked down, fiddling with the bedcovers. "Maybe we aren't supposed to remember. Maybe it's just supposed to be you."

Luffy shook his head. "We _all_ promised to come back. Maybe you guys haven't felt anything because I needed to remember first. But you've seen the ship, right? And heard the voice, too. That wouldn't have happened if you weren't a part of this."

"But..." Usopp seemed to be struggling to find an excuse. "But what about the man that Robin told you about? You know, the one that actually talked to the voice. That was over a hundred years ago! That guy obviously wasn't part of this, but _he_ still saw it. And there have been others!"

"I don't know," said Luffy. "Maybe…maybe there are some people that can see stuff like that, even if it isn't meant for them. But it _is_ meant for you, Usopp. And these will prove it, if you let them." Luffy extended a hand towards Usopp, the earrings nestled in his palm.

The boy's eyes widened. "Are those—"

"Yeah." Luffy looked at him. "I remembered when I held them, Usopp. And so will you. Just take 'em."

"But—" Usopp bit his lip. There was a faint sheen of sweat on his face, and he looked slightly sick. "What if it doesn't work? If…If I touch them, and nothing happens…I don't think I could take it, Luffy!"

"You'll be fine!" Luffy said, grinning. "I believe in you." He thrust the jewelry at his friend again, the picture of confidence, and as Usopp stared first at him, then at the earrings, the fear faded from his face, to be replaced with determination.

"Right," he said, squaring his shoulders. "This is nothing! No challenge at all for the great Usopp! Let's do it!" And if his hands still shook a little as he held them out, Luffy pretended not to notice.

He tipped the earrings into Usopp's waiting hands. Almost immediately the boy began shaking and moaning, his eyes going wide then rolling back as he slumped, heading for the floor. _It's working,_ Luffy thought happily as he caught his friend and pulled him back to safety.

Within a few minutes, Usopp had gone limp, and Luffy dragged him up to lay next to him on the bed. When the sniper was as comfortable as he could make him, Luffy lay back into the pillows and considered who to awaken next. _Maybe Tony – Chopper,_ he thought. _He's not as gullible this time around, but he does believe in the ship. Or Robin. She's seen it too, she told me. I wonder if any of the others have…_ His eyes fluttered shut as he considered, and a few minutes later, the only sounds in the room were the soft snores of two boys, boys who were no longer as young as they seemed.

* * *

_He was on Sunny, the ship rocking gently in the water. A cool breeze swept over the deck, and he could smell the salt of the ocean. Around him, his crew was going about their business. Zoro was napping. Franky was showing Usopp and Chopper a new invention. Nami and Robin were reading, while Sanji danced over to them with a tray of drinks. And he could hear Brook's soft music playing over it all._

_A shadow made him look up. Above him, dark clouds were massing, seeming to have appeared from nowhere. The breeze suddenly gained strength, nearly blowing him off his feet with its newfound ferocity. He could hear his crew's voices, yelling about the storm, calling his name. The relaxed rocking motion of the ship had intensified, becoming a rough shaking that made it hard to keep his balance. The wind was roaring in his ears now, but he could still hear the voices, louder than ever, calling him. He drew breath to reply, just as a wave surged up, soaking him from head to toe, and—_

"Luffy!" His eyes flew open. The shaking hadn't just been in the dream. A trembling Usopp was leaning over him, hands gripping his shoulders, and one glance at his face told Luffy that he remembered. Tears dripped down the boy's long nose, splashing onto Luffy's cheek.

Luffy smiled up at him. "Usopp," he said. "You remember now, right?"

"Everything," the sniper said, settling back with a loud sniff as Luffy pushed himself to a sitting position. "I can't believe it…all my life I've dreamed of being a great adventurer…when we've already gone on adventures more amazing than anything you could find in this world."

"There are adventures everywhere, Usopp," Luffy said. "The one we're having now is pretty big, don't you think?"

Usopp let out a nervous chuckle. "Y-yeah, I guess. It doesn't get much bigger than d-dying, huh? And then coming back…"

"Well," Luffy said, "Brook might not think so, I guess. This is the second time he's died, after all. Doing something you've already done before isn't as exciting."

"Death isn't supposed to be exciting!" Usopp cried. "It's supposed to be horrible! It _was_ horrible!" The boy curled in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest. "I mean…we _died_ , Luffy! All of us! I saw Nami fall…and Chopper…there were so many enemies, so much blood everywhere…and it hurt. It hurt so much…!" His voice trailed off into an anguished sob.

"I know," Luffy said. "I remember it too. I know. But that doesn't matter anymore, okay? The past is the past. We're here now. We have another chance."

"To do what?" Usopp asked, sniffling. "Why are we here again? What are we supposed to do now?"

Luffy grinned. "Whatever we want," he said. "That's what's so great about it. But we have lots of time to think about that stuff. First we have to help everyone else remember, so we can all come back to Sunny like we promised Zoro. We can talk about what comes next after that." There was a box of tissues on his bedside table. He pulled one out and offered it to Usopp.

Usopp took it and nodded, shivering a little. "Zoro's…really there? How? I mean, it's gotta be at least a couple hundred years by now, right?"

"You'll see when you meet him," Luffy said. "But he's there."

The sniper looked for a moment as though he wanted to press further, but seemed to think better of it. "So…what now? Who are you going to try next?"

"Probably Robin or Chopper," Luffy said. "I don't think the others have seen the ship, so they might be harder. Do you know if your d— if Franky's ever seen it?"

"Not…not that I know of," Usopp said slowly, then made a face. "This is so weird. 'Cause to part of me, he's my dad – he's raised me since I was a baby! But now there's another part that remembers us from before, and I know he was sort of like a big brother, or _maybe_ even a dad, but still…it's just _weird_ , you know? What am I going to call him now?"

Luffy doubled over, giggling. "You're funny, Usopp. But I know what you mean. Zoro was teasing me about Nami. You know, 'cause she's almost like my mom here, so…"

Usopp managed a chuckle. "Y-yeah…she sure scolds you enough to be one."

"Ah, that reminds me, she said she'd bring me lunch, so she'll probably be back soon. It'd be bad if she catches you in here. She'd probably guard the door, and then I couldn't see any of the others until tomorrow, at least."

Usopp paled. "You could have told me that before I passed out on your bed! Why didn't you tell her not to come?"

"She'd have come anyway," Luffy said. "Actually, she'd probably come sooner. And I'm _really_ hungry!"

"I guess some things never change," Usopp said, grinning a little. "I'd better get out of here, then. What do you want me to do?"

"Try to find Chopper or Robin," Luffy said. "If you can get Nami to let them in here, that would be good. Otherwise, I guess you'll have to sneak them in. Probably just one at a time would be better."

"All right." Usopp scrambled off the bed and started backing towards the door. "Um, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay." Luffy grinned. "It's good to have you back, Usopp."

Usopp smiled, drawing himself up straighter. "Good to be back, Captain! You can count on me!" And with a wink, he was gone, slipping out the door as quietly as he'd come.

* * *

Nami arrived with lunch not three minutes after Usopp had left. Her eyes were still a bit red, and she set the tray down a little harder than was really necessary. Luffy wisely decided to simply eat the food and keep quiet. Sanji was every bit as good a chef as he had been before, Luffy decided as he devoured the meal. He supposed that after going almost two days without food, anything would taste good, but even so, Sanji's cooking had something special.

He made another attempt at an apology after he finished, but Nami was still in no mood to listen, and hurried out of the room as soon as she'd given Luffy his medicine. Disappointed, he sat back and waited for Usopp to return.

It was perhaps two hours later when the door eased open and the sniper entered, followed closely by Robin.

"Robin!" said Luffy happily. "Usopp found you! Did you guys have to sneak in?"

Robin smiled. "No. Your friend said you had something important to tell me, and I wanted to check on you in any case. I was able to convince Nami-san to allow a short visit."

"That's amazing," Luffy said, pulling back the covers and climbing out of bed. "When she brought dinner, she was still so mad she wouldn't even talk to me."

"She was worried about you, Luffy-san," Robin said. "Are you sure you should be up so soon? You just returned a few hours ago, didn't you?"

"I'm fine," Luffy said. "Listen, Robin, I have to tell you what's happened. And you have to believe me. I swear it's all true. Usopp knows too, now."

Robin blinked in surprise. "Well, I'll certainly listen, Luffy-san. Why don't we sit down?"

Luffy and Usopp perched on the edge of Luffy's bed, while Robin pulled up a nearby chair and seated herself gracefully. "Now," said Robin once they were settled, "what's this all about?"

"Robin," began Luffy, "do you believe in living? More than once, I mean?"

"Do you mean reincarnation?" she asked.

"Yeah, that. Do you?"

"I…well, I suppose the possibility exists. I've never seen proof of such a thing, but there are stories, naturally."

"I'd never thought about it," Luffy said. "Not really. I mean, I've thought about death before – it's kind of hard not to when everyone around you is talking about how you probably won't live long enough to grow up, as far back as you can remember – but I never thought that there might have been anything _before_ this."

"And something's happened to change that?"

"Yes." Luffy met her eyes then, giving her the most serious, this-is-really-important look he could muster. "I remembered."

"Remembered? A past life?"

"Yes," he said again. "Two nights ago…I went to the ghost ship, Robin. Actually, I went to the forest, and then to the ship…I found something there. In the forest. It helped me remember. And Usopp, too. We've lived before. And we're not the only ones. You were there too, Robin. You were with us, before. And I need you to remember. I need you to believe so I can help you remember."

"Luffy-san…" She was staring at him. He couldn't quite tell if she believed him, or if she was starting to worry for his sanity.

"You have to believe me, Robin," he said. "Please. You've seen the ship, you said so! That's our ship, Robin! Her name is _Thousand Sunny_. We sailed all over the world with her. I was the captain. Usopp was our sniper. You were our archaeologist."

Her eyes were wide now. Hoping he might be getting through to her, Luffy plowed on. "The others, too! They were all there! Nami was the navigator, Sanji was the cook, Tony was the doctor, only we called him Chopper most of the time. Brook was our musician, and Franky was our shipwright. He builtSunny for us. We traveled the world together, and achieved all our dreams. I'm not making this up, Robin! I wouldn't lie to you about something like this! Look—" He fumbled in his pocket, bringing out the earrings.

"This was what I found in the forest, Robin. They belong to another friend of ours. He left them there, for me, so I could find my way back to him someday. So that we all could. They helped me remember, they helped Usopp remember, and they can help you, too." He held them out to her. "Please take them, Robin. Please believe in me."

For a moment, all was still. Luffy didn't move, could hardly dare to breathe. Then, very slowly, a slim hand lifted from the lap it had been resting in. Hesitantly, it stretched towards the golden glitter in the waiting hand of the former pirate king. Soft fingers brushed Luffy's skin, and now he moved, gently taking her hand in his and sliding the earrings into her palm. She stiffened, eyes going wide; then with a soft cry, she collapsed forward, Luffy catching her before she could fall off the chair.

"D-did it work?" Usopp asked, reaching out cautiously to take hold of Robin's arm. Together, he and Luffy managed to get her onto the bed.

"Yeah, I think so," Luffy said. "That was pretty close to what you did, and what I did too, I think. So it probably did."

"I have to admit, that wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be," Usopp said. "If the rest of them are this easy, we'll be done in an hour or so!"

"Except for Chopper, I think the others will be harder." Luffy sat down on Robin's abandoned chair, watching her as she slept. "None of them have seen Sunny, and adults don't like to believe in this kind of thing."

"Luffy…" Usopp bit his lip. "What if we can't get through to them? I mean, this Nami would never believe a crazy story like this in a million years, even if she was in a _good_ mood! And the others…"

"We will," Luffy said confidently. "Even if it's harder, the memories are still there. We'll definitely find a way to bring them back."

Taking a deep breath, Usopp nodded. He glanced at Robin. "How long do you think it'll take her to wake up?"

"Dunno. How long were you out?"

"I don't know…it couldn't have been more than an hour or so, I guess."

"I hope Nami doesn't come back before Robin wakes up. It might make things more difficult."

Usopp looked slightly terrified. "S-she said a _short_ visit, so she probably will…oh god, we're dead. It probably looks like we attacked her or something!"

"Nami knows I wouldn't do something like that," Luffy said. "But it'll make it harder to talk to Robin if Nami's there when she comes around."

But neither of them could think of any way to avoid it – if Nami came, she came, and they'd just have to deal with it. Usopp dragged another chair over to the bed, and the boys settled down to wait. They didn't talk much. Usopp asked a few questions about Sunny, brought up a few old memories, but they kept lapsing back into silence, and eventually he gave up. Luffy felt like time itself was holding its breath, the entire world paused while the young woman slept.

And then, after nearly an hour, Robin stirred. The boys jumped up at once, leaning over the bed as her eyes flickered open.

"Robin?" Luffy asked eagerly. "You okay?"

She blinked a few times, her gaze sliding over to rest on him. "Luffy…" she said softly.

"You remember?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"…Yes," she said, and smiled. "This is all…quite unexpected, captain."

A wide smile split Luffy's face. "Yeah, it's pretty weird, huh?"

"You can say that again," Usopp muttered.

Robin sat up carefully, looking at them. "Usopp…Luffy said you also remember? Do any of the others…?"

"Not yet," Luffy said. "We're working on it. I'm hoping it'll be easier now, with you."

"Yeah," Usopp said. "They'll be more likely to think we aren't nuts if we have an adult confirming the story."

"Or they may simply believe all three of us have lost our minds," Robin said as she stood. "But I'll do what I can."

"This would be easier if Nami remembered," Luffy said. "She's not likely to let anyone else in here today. But I don't think just us three will be enough to convince her."

"Perhaps Brook would be allowed?" Robin suggested. "He is your butler, is he not, Luffy?"

"Maybe…Nami usually helps me with anything I need in my room, but we could try."

"Brook isn't going to want to listen, though," Usopp said. "The minute we start talking about ghost ships…"

"We will simply have to choose our words carefully," Robin said. "Or if necessary, restrain him."

"Restrain?" Usopp gave her a look. "If we start tying him up or something, Nami's going to hear the noise and come running in!"

"We'll make sure to silence him quickly, then," Robin said, smiling.

"Okay," said Luffy, as Usopp edged nervously away from Robin. "You guys go get Brook. Tell Nami whatever you have to to make her let him in without her following."

His friends departed, and Luffy began pacing, too worked up to wait quietly. _Five more to go…_

Sooner than he had expected, he heard voices in the hall outside. Nami's didn't seem to be among them, though. Luffy tiptoed to the door and listened carefully.

"—as I said, Luffy-san needs Brook-san's assistance with a personal matter," Robin was saying. "If you would please step aside, Franky—"

"Not happening, sis," came Franky's voice. "Nami's trusting me to stand guard while she's getting something to eat, and she said the kid's had enough visitors for the day. Come back tomorrow."

"I'm afraid this can't wait," Robin said. "I will take responsibility with Nami-san."

"Now look here—"

"Please, Fr- dad," Usopp's voice was pleading. "This is important. _Really_ important. Luffy's fine, honestly! It'd probably be worse to make him wait till tomorrow for this. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep if I were him."

"What the hell is this problem, anyway?" Franky sounded suspicious. "What's up with the kid that he needs a perverted musician's help to sort him out?"

"I beg your pardon," began Brook, but Luffy had had enough. He wrenched open the door. Franky, who had been standing directly in front of it, turned.

"Hey, kid," he said. "You're supposed to be in bed. How about you close that door and—"

"I need to see Brook," Luffy said. "It's important. I have to tell him something."

"Whatever it is, it can wait."

"It can't!" Luffy shouted. "I…can't leave this for tomorrow," he continued more quietly. He looked up, meeting the former cyborg's gaze. "You can come in with us, Franky. I need to tell you, too."

"O-oi, Luffy, are you sure that's a good idea?" Usopp asked. "I thought we decided it was better to do it one at a time."

"It'll be fine," Luffy said firmly. "We don't have time for this. Nami could be back soon."

With great reluctance, Franky was persuaded to allow them into the room, entering first so they couldn't try to shut him out. Franky and Brook sat on the chairs, with Robin hovering directly behind them and Usopp covering the door, in case anyone tried to make a break for it when things got tricky. Luffy stood in front of them, trying to project the image of a confident captain, and slowly, he began to speak.

Explanations were difficult. Franky openly scoffed, certain that Usopp had been making up stories again and had somehow roped Luffy and Robin into playing along. Brook, as predicted, lost his composure as soon as he realized they were talking about the ghost ship. Robin prevented him from running, so the musician had resorted to slumping in his seat, humming to himself in an attempt to block the words.

Luffy refused to give up, though. He told them more and more, stories from those other lives – how they'd met, adventures they'd been on – anything he could think of. And gradually, he could see a change in his two friends. Franky's incredulous expression began to slip away as the stories became too long and complex for a hastily-created lie. Brook's humming slowed and finally trailed off into silence. He spoke until his throat went dry, describing the places they'd been to, the people they'd seen – and finally, the story of their last adventure. The adventure that had ended so abruptly. The adventure they now had a chance to properly conclude – or continue.

"I'm not making this up," Luffy said at last, sensing they were near the edge. "I wouldn't lie about something this important. I need you to believe. Please." He set the earrings down on a nearby table. "If you pick those up, you'll know. You _have_ to remember."

Franky was in tears by this point, saying it was a " _super_ -touching story, even if it isn't true." Luffy was just drawing breath to speak again when Brook abruptly stood. Robin watched carefully in case he was going to attempt another escape, but the tall man strode over to the table, looking down at the earrings without a word. The three who remembered held their breath, waiting to see what the musician would do, and even Franky tried to stifle his blubbering.

In one quick motion, Brook reached out and swept the earrings into his hand. He jerked, yelling hoarsely, then crumpled. Luffy and Usopp were ready for it, and managed to ease him to the floor as he continued to twitch.

Franky had leapt to his feet at the first cry. Now he was frozen, staring in shock. "What…what just happened?" he asked dumbly.

"His memories are being restored," Robin said. "When he wakes, he will be able to confirm our story for you."

"It's all true, dad," Usopp whispered. "I swear it's true. I know it sounds crazy, but look at him! That reaction wasn't a lie!"

"Trust us, Franky," Luffy said. "You'll see."

Franky was rather pale now, looking from Luffy, to Usopp, to Robin, and finally to the prone form of Brook, limp and relaxed on the floor. "So…I just gotta touch those things?" he asked at last.

Luffy nodded. "That's all."

"We have to wait for him to come around?"

Luffy considered. "I don't think so," he said. "He's already remembered, everything's just settling now."

Franky held out a hand. "Then pass 'em here before I change my mind."

Luffy bent down and gently extracted the gold from Brook's hand. He turned back to Franky. "Remember all the stories I told you, okay? You have to believe for it to work."

"Hold it!" Usopp shouted as Luffy was about to put the earrings into Franky's hand. "How about you sit down first, Fr- dad? You're too big to catch if you pass out."

"Shut up, kid," Franky said gruffly, but he lowered himself to the floor before holding his hand out again. "C'mon, already. Give."

Luffy dropped the earrings into the waiting hand. For a moment, they thought it hadn't worked, Franky simply staring at the gold in his palm. Then the shipwright's fingers clenched into a fist, and he was screaming, louder than any of the three before him.

"Shut him up, quick!" Usopp hissed as Franky began to thrash. "Nami'll be here in seconds if she hears that!" Luffy snatched a pillow from his bed and pressed it over the man's face, trying to stifle the noise.

"Do be careful, captain," Robin said as she and Usopp attempted to hold down Franky's flailing limbs. "You may suffocate him if you continue that for long."

"It's not tight," Luffy muttered as Franky finally began to go limp. "I just couldn't think of anything else to do."

The three of them were able to drag Franky to lie near Brook, and were just pausing to catch their breath after all the excitement, when the door suddenly flew open.

"What was that noise?" said an irritated voice. "We heard screaming! What are you all doing in here? What—" The voice broke off in surprise, footsteps coming farther into the room. "What happened to those two?"

Slowly, the three conspirators turned around. Standing in the doorway, shock and anger written across her face, was Nami, Sanji standing a few feet behind her.


	13. Trust

"I don't understand," Nami said. "There aren't any wounds or bruising, no sign of a struggle – there isn't a mark on them! Why would they both just collapse at the same time like this?" She was examining Franky and Brook, who had been pulled up to lie on Luffy's bed. Both men were still deeply unconscious, limp as rag dolls.

"What the hell did you brats do to them?" Sanji asked.

"Why are you assuming it was us?" Usopp said irritably.

"The three of you were the only ones in here with them," Sanji said, "and clearly there's no way that the lovely Robin-chan could do something like this."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Sanji-san," Robin said, as Usopp sputtered in outrage, "but I'm afraid all three of us bear some responsibility for their condition."

"What happened, Luffy?" Nami straightened and turned to face him with an icy expression. "You are going to tell me what is going on here, and don't you even think about trying to worm your way out of it!"

"I won't," Luffy promised. He took a deep breath and met her eyes. "You, Sanji, and Chopper are the only ones left, anyway. I guess now is the right time."

"Oi, kid, if you even think about doing anything to Nami-san—"

"I'm not going to hurt her, Sanji," Luffy said. "I just need to tell you both something. You're…probably going to think I'm crazy, but I swear it's all true. Usopp and Robin know, and so will Brook and Franky once they wake up."

"Tell us what?" Nami asked stiffly.

Luffy sighed. "I was hoping you'd be in a better mood for this, but…oh well." He drew in another deep breath. "You guys have heard the legend about the ghost ship, right?"

"Oh please, Luffy, not this again," Nami's exasperation was leaking past the cold mask she had been trying to keep in place. "I know you love your stories, but this isn't the time! I need you to tell me what happened to Franky and Brook, not start spouting more tales about things that don't exist!"

"It does exist! That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Luffy's fingers dug into his scalp as he pulled at his hair. "That's where I was yesterday, Nami! I was on the ship, sleeping and talking to Zo— to the person who lives there. And I remembered something, something really important, and now I have to make you remember, too—"

" _Enough_!" Nami's voice was shrill. "Ghosts don't exist, Luffy! They aren't real! If you saw anything, it was probably a hallucination brought on by fever. You're sick, you need—"

"I'M NOT SICK!" Luffy roared. "Not like that." He swallowed, trying to get himself under control. "This isn't the first time we've lived, Nami. We had other lives before, all of us. I can tell you. Robin and Usopp can tell you. Please, you have to listen—"

"Nami-san's right." Sanji's face was cloudy. "Reincarnation? Shit like that isn't real. Grow up, brat. You gotta start living in the real world."

Luffy could feel angry tears in his eyes. He'd known Nami would be the hardest, and he wasn't surprised that Sanji was being difficult, too, but it still hurt to have his friends shoot him down so harshly.

"Sanji-san," Robin's voice cut smoothly through the tension. "May I speak to you privately?"

Sanji's demeanor changed in an instant, all harshness gone as he spun towards her. "Of course, Robin-chwan! Lead the way!"

Once Sanji and Robin had left, Luffy turned back to Nami. "I'm _not_ lying," he hissed. "You'll see."

"Luffy—" Nami began, but she was interrupted by a moan from the direction of the bed.

"Brook!" Luffy shouted, running past Nami to lean over the musician. "You awake?"

"Luffy-san…" came Brook's faint reply.

"I'm glad you're okay." Luffy grinned. "So, you know now, right? You remember?"

Brook slowly sat up. "Indeed I do, Luffy-san. My goodness, to think that we would all forget such a large thing!"

"I know." Luffy stepped back from the bed, allowing Brook to rise. "So, Brook, can you tell Nami that I'm not crazy? 'Cause she's not taking it real well."

"Oh dear…" Brook looked over at Nami. "He has explained it to you, Nami-san?"

"He's _explained_ nothing. All he's been doing is babbling about ghost ships and reincarnation. You're not telling me you believe this nonsense, Brook?"

"I admit, I was reluctant to do so at first. But you should listen to him, Nami-san. Allow him to tell you the stories. Luffy-san speaks the truth. I remember now, myself." He stared for a moment at his own hand, flexing the muscle and watching the skin move. "Please try to have an open mind. And then, perhaps, you would allow me to see your—"

"NO WAY!" She yelled, sending him flying into the wall with a punch.

"Oh my, just like old times," Brook said, easing to his feet. "Though it is considerably more painful when you have flesh to bruise, Yohohoho!"

Nami looked startled. Luffy knew that she'd never hit Brook like that before, even when he mentioned her panties. Not in this lifetime, at least. _She's getting closer to remembering, even if she doesn't know it yet,_ he thought with a smile.

A loud groan had everyone spinning back to the bed again, where Franky was sitting upright and shaking his head. "Oh man," he said. "I can't believe it! All those stories were true! What awesome adventures! What a SUPER-sad ending!" He was crying again, tears streaming down his face as he swiped furiously at his eyes.

"It's not an ending, Franky," Luffy said. "This is a new beginning!"

"Luffy…" Franky sobbed, before making a visible effort to collect himself. "Yeah, that's right! We can start again now!" He pulled himself to his feet. "You said you saw Sunny, right? How's she doing? Zoro didn't wreck her while we were gone, did he? That bastard, if he let her get damaged, I'll—"

Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, Franky," he said. "Sunny's great! Zoro's looked after her fine."

"Hmph, I'll be the judge of that," Franky said. "Oi, Brook! You back with us?"

"Of course, Franky-san! Yohohoho!"

Franky studied the musician. "Well, you're definitely more…alive-looking than you were before." He looked down at his own body. "And me…man, all my weapons and stuff! It's gonna be a long time before I have a _super_ week again…"

"What…" Nami's voice was shaking, and when Luffy turned, he saw her body was, too. "What is going on here? What's gotten into all of you? Why are you playing along with this?"

Franky looked at her. "No one's playing, sis. He woke us up, that's all. Luffy ain't lying."

"This is crazy…" she whispered, backing away.

There was a sudden bang, and Nami jumped as the door slammed open and Sanji stormed into the room, Robin following with an amused expression on her face. The cook was blushing furiously and wore a fierce scowl. He marched up to Luffy, halting just before they would have collided.

"Oi, brat," he said, cigarette clenched between his teeth. "Show me the shitty jewelry already."

Luffy laughed and held out the earrings. Sanji snatched them from him. A moment later, the cigarette was falling from his mouth as he began screaming, doubling over and collapsing to the floor too fast for Luffy to stop him.

"I hope he didn't hit anything too hard…" Luffy said as Sanji writhed on the floor, yelling hoarsely.

"I believe he'll be fine, captain," said Robin. "Unless he moves too far to the right, in which case he might split his head open on the bedpost."

"C-come on, Robin, don't joke about stuff like that!" Usopp squeaked.

"S-Sanji-kun!" Nami fell to her knees, eyes wide and staring. "What did you do? What…what's happening to him?"

"He's remembering," said Luffy. Sanji finally went limp, and Robin joined her captain in hauling the unconscious man to the bed. "Don't worry, Nami. He'll be fine. And then it'll be your turn."

Nami just stared, and Luffy could see that she was finally having doubts, finally starting to consider. _But she's not ready yet,_ he thought. _She's still too scared to believe…_

* * *

For the next hour, they sat in near-silence. Brook excused himself at one point to get tea, though Luffy thought the musician simply needed a break from the oppressive atmosphere in the room. Franky was muttering to himself in the corner, Usopp sitting nearby, leaning against the wall. Robin had claimed one of the chairs, Brook taking the other once he returned, and Luffy was at the foot of the bed.

Nami just sat. She hadn't moved from where she'd fallen, and Luffy could hear her whispering. She seemed to be trying to convince herself that she was dreaming, that none of it was real and she would be waking up any minute. He let her be. There was nothing else he could say for now. When Sanji woke up, the chef would help convince her.

At last Luffy felt the mattress shift beneath him, and he looked quickly at the cook's prone form. "Sanji?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, my head," Sanji groaned. Nami flinched and twisted where she sat to stare at him. "Next time you give me something that's going to make me feel like I drank an entire wine cellar, _warn me first_ , shitty captain!" he said with a growl.

Luffy laughed. "Sorry, Sanji," he said through his giggles. "It didn't hurt anyone else that bad, I think. Maybe you did hit your head when you fell."

"Bastard." Sanji got to his feet, wincing slightly.

"S-Sanji…kun?" came a tremulous voice from the floor.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji hurriedly moved around the bed and dropped to a crouch in front of her, headache apparently forgotten. "Are you all right?"

"I should be asking you that! You…you picked up those things and then you just…you were _screaming_ , Sanji-kun! Screaming and convulsing on the floor! What…what…?"

"Nami-san…" Sanji bowed his head. "I know what I said before. Hell, this whole situation still seems crazy to me." He raised his head, looking her steadily in the eyes. "But Luffy isn't the part that's crazy. Usopp, Robin-chan, and the others – none of them are crazy, Nami-san. I can remember it now, all of it. We really did…live before."

"Sanji-kun…" She was staring at him, eyes wide and fearful.

"It's natural to be afraid, Nami-san. This sort of thing isn't supposed to happen in this world. But in the world we came from, 'crazy' is something you see every damn day. Maybe that's why this happened. Maybe we brought some of our own brand of weird with us when we came here. I don't know." Sanji reached out and gently took her hand. "But it's real, and you need to believe. You need to remember, too. Because we're friends – we're _family_. Until we're all really together again, we won't be home, whichever world we're in."

Nami was shaking, and Luffy could see tears in her eyes, but he could tell she was starting to believe. Sanji's sudden switch from hardened skeptic to true believer seemed to have forced the doors of her mind a little further open, making way for the _possibility_...

"I can tell you about our adventures if you want," Luffy said, stepping forward. "There were lots of them, way more exciting than anything I ever made up for you. But you're the only one who can make the choice to remember, Nami."

She looked up, and he could see the fear written on her face, but after a moment, she stood unsteadily and turned to face him. "Fine. I'll do it. Give me those things."

Luffy extended a hand, but hesitated before passing the earrings to her. "Are you ready, Nami? Can you believe?"

"Yes," she said, after a pause that lasted a heartbeat too long.

Luffy looked at her. He knew she still had doubts, but trying to press her further would only destroy the fragile beginnings of acceptance she had built. Carefully, he set the earrings in her hand.

A shiver ran through Nami's body, and her fingers twitched into a fist around the earrings, but Luffy could tell something was wrong. She was silent, and though she was swaying heavily, she was still fully conscious.

"What was that?" she whispered. "I…I felt something, just then, but—"

"It was trying," Luffy said. "It almost worked. You have to stop holding back. Trust us, Nami. Believe."

"Luffy…"

"Believe in us, Nami-san," Sanji said. "You don't have to be afraid."

"Trust Luffy," Usopp said, standing and moving nearer. "He's never let us down. Not with the important things. And this is important!"

"I know you can do it, Nami-san," Brook rose gracefully from his chair.

"C'mon, Nami," Franky added his encouragement.

"It's all right, Nami." Robin moved forward, placing a gentle hand on Nami's arm. "Just let go. We'll be there to catch you."

"We always will," Luffy said.

He could see the moment she gave in, the moment she finally stepped over the line between disbelief and belief and the earrings started to work. A moment later, her body began to jerk and twitch, whimpers escaping from her throat. Her already wobbling legs didn't support her for more than a few seconds, but Sanji was there, lifting her bridal-style and carrying her to the bed. He laid her down gently, but was reluctant to let go, Usopp forcibly dragging the chef's hands away from her slender figure.

"Whew," the sniper said, collapsing into one of the vacated chairs. "I wasn't sure we'd be able to get through to her for a while there."

"Nami-san would never let us down," Sanji snapped at him.

"Ahhh." Luffy happily plopped down into the other chair. "Almost there! Just one to go now." He laughed.

"One, huh?" Sanji leaned against the wall. He drew out a fresh cigarette and lit up, having apparently forgotten that he was banned from smoking around Luffy. "You mentioned Chopper, before. He's Tony, right? The kid you and Usopp hang out with?"

"Yeah," Luffy said.

"He's human, now," Franky said. "It's weird, thinking of him without hooves or antlers."

"Y-yeah," Usopp said. "Or fur, or that blue nose…Hey." He sat up straighter. "What's going to happen when he gets his memories back? Is he going to suddenly turn into a reindeer again?"

"I doubt it," Robin said. "But I suppose we'll see."

"Do you know where he is, Usopp-san?" Brook asked.

"No," Usopp said. "I called him earlier, when Luffy sent me to find him and Robin, but he didn't answer. He's probably just out somewhere – their house only has a landline, and his grandma had a meeting today with some friends, so she wouldn't have heard the phone."

"We'll find him," Luffy said confidently.

They settled into silence after that. Though it was a more comfortable silence than before, there was still an undercurrent of excitement running through the group. They were close, so close to being truly reunited for the first time in over three hundred years. _We'll be there soon, Zoro,_ Luffy thought, looking towards the bay. _Get the mist ready._

* * *

Nami took longer to wake than any of the others. They sat and waited for over two hours, Sanji getting increasingly worried, before she at last showed signs of moving. The chef was beside the bed at the first twitch, reaching out to clasp one delicate hand in his own. "Nami-san? Can you hear me?"

"Sanji…kun?" Brown eyes fluttered open.

"Yes, Nami-swan! I'm right here. Are you all right?"

"I…" She attempted to sit up, but there seemed to be no strength in her limbs and she collapsed backwards again. Sanji slipped an arm around her shoulders and gently eased her upright. "I'm…fine." She looked around, her gaze settling on Luffy. "Luffy…" And suddenly she was crying, fat tears sliding down her face. "I'm so sorry, Luffy!"

"What for?" Luffy asked cheerfully.

"I…I didn't believe you." She let out a hiccupping sob, hugging herself tightly. "You tried so hard to tell me, and I just…yelled at you."

"Silly." Luffy leaned over the bed, brushing against Sanji. "Of course you believed me. You wouldn't remember now if you hadn't."

"I should have trusted you sooner," she insisted. "Even—even if I didn't remember, I've known you for years, Luffy. You may be a dreamer, but you wouldn't…wouldn't be so serious about something if you weren't sure it was true." She wiped at her damp eyes with a sleeve. "I should have been more willing to listen."

"Don't worry about it." Luffy grinned. "You remember now, right?"

She nodded jerkily.

"That's all okay, then!" He bounced back from the bed. "Now c'mon, we gotta find Chopper."

"Chopper?" She began shifting her legs; she was still shaking, but seemed to be regaining some control over her movements.

"Yep! He's the last one that needs to remember."

Nami managed to get to her feet, looking steadier with every passing second. "Where is he?"

"Don't know. Usopp's been calling, but he's probably still out somewhere." Luffy laughed. "So we'll just have to go and look for him! You okay to walk?"

"Oi, Luffy, don't rush her," Sanji snapped. "Take as much time as you need, Nami-swan!"

"It's all right, Sanji-kun," she said. "I'm feeling much better now."

"Good! Let's go!" Luffy shouted, heading for the door.

Nami reached out and caught his arm. "Luffy, wait a minute."

He stopped and turned back to her. "What's up, Nami?"

"You shouldn't be running around outside yet, Luffy." She gave him a sad smile. "I know you remember being the strong captain who can do anything, but your body can't handle that kind of thing anymore. You have to be careful."

"I know that very well, Nami," Luffy said. "But don't worry. I'll be fine." He turned for the door again, shooting her a grin over his shoulder. "Zoro helped me."

"Zoro?" Nami blinked in surprise as the crew followed their captain out. "Helped how?"

"Come to think of it, where's the marimo been during all this?" Sanji asked. "You said he's on the ship, didn't you? I haven't seen him around like the rest of us. Would've expected him to turn up as your bodyguard or something. Does he remember yet?"

"He's here," Luffy said. "He never left. And he never forgot."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sanji demanded.

"You'll see later," Luffy told him. "Chopper comes first."

* * *

As it turned out, they didn't have to go far to find Tony.

The sun was just starting to set as they left the mansion. Even though it was summer, the air was fairly cool, and Nami had insisted on bundling Luffy into a light coat and hat despite his protests that he was fine. The captain was all ready to run to the village to look for their friend, but Nami firmly stamped on that idea and sent Franky to get the car. It was a tight fit with seven of them, but they piled in and set off down the long winding driveway.

Franky slowed the car as they approached the main entrance. He tapped the control to open the gate. Seconds later, they heard a sharp squeal as a small figure fell forward through the expanding gap.

"Is that…?" Nami stared at the boy who was now picking himself up off the ground with small whimpers of pain.

"Ah! Chopper!" Luffy cried excitedly. He began struggling to climb over Usopp so he could get to the door. The sniper quickly decided the best course of action was to open the door and exit the car himself, Luffy tumbling out after him. "Tony!" Luffy called, remembering that the boy would not recognize his other name until his memories were returned.

"L-Luffy!" Tony stared, then quickly ran forward, slamming into the older boy's midsection in an ecstatic hug. "You're okay! I was so worried! No one had seen you, and I've been looking all over the island in case you'd gone outside the grounds, and then I thought I'd come here to check if they'd found you yet, and…I'm so glad!" He dissolved into hiccupping sobs.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Luffy patted his friend's back. "Sorry to worry you, Tony."

"Where…where were you?" Tony asked as he finally pulled back. He was still sniffling. "What happened? What—" He broke off as he noticed the other occupants of the car now spilling out. "What are you guys all doing here?"

"Looking for you, kid," Franky said with a grin. "Luffy here has something to tell you."

"Really, Luffy? What is it?"

"Well," Luffy began, "it's kind of a long story…"

* * *

There was a bench a little ways inside the gate, resting in the shade of a tree, and Luffy led Tony over to it. He thought it would be more comfortable than standing through the whole story, and would also give Tony a place to rest while his memories returned.

Tony listened wide-eyed as Luffy once again recounted the tale. The skepticism he had acquired from growing up with Usopp in this life deserted him at the mention of the ghost ship, and Luffy could tell he believed him at once.

"I was really a reindeer?" the boy asked, stunned.

Luffy laughed. "Yep!"

"And we were really pirates? That's so cool!" Tony squealed.

"So…you want to remember?" Luffy asked with a grin, holding up the earrings.

"Of course I do!" Tony leapt from his seat, nearly dancing with excitement.

"You'd better sit down, then, 'cause you'll probably pass out like the rest of us."

Tony carefully seated himself as the rest of the crew gathered around. Trembling a little, he held out his hands. Luffy gave him the earrings, and everyone waited for the reaction to start.

Within a few seconds, Tony was shaking much more than he had been. He clutched his head with both hands, barely keeping a grasp on the golden earrings. His eyes were wide and staring. Luffy held his arms at the ready, prepared to catch the boy when he keeled over.

But minutes passed, and Tony was still sitting, shaking and staring; still conscious, if distracted.

"What's wrong?" Luffy heard Usopp whisper. "Nobody else reacted this way…is it because he wasn't human before or something?"

"I have no idea, Usopp-san," Brook said quietly.

Suddenly Tony gasped and looked up, hands falling from his head. "What…Luffy, what just happened? I thought you said I'd remember everything!"

Luffy frowned. "You don't?"

"No…" the boy's face was scrunched in concentration. "I…I think I remember a little bit. There are these flashes of us on a ship, or on islands, or fighting…and I have hooves, and antlers, and I can change shape…but I don't recognize it, Luffy! I see faces and I don't know who they are! I hear bits of conversations and I don't know what came before or after! I thought I was going to remember it all!"

"You should have," Luffy said.

"Maybe it's like with Nami?" Usopp suggested. "Maybe he hasn't opened himself to the memories enough yet."

"I don't think that's it, Usopp." Robin's face held a pensive frown. "He obviously believes the story whole-heartedly. And it seems he does remember fragments, while Nami did not recall anything until she went through the full reaction."

"Then what the hell's going on?" Sanji asked. "Why isn't it working?"

They were quiet for a few moments, pondering the possible explanations. Then suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"It's not working," the voice said, "because part of him is missing."


	14. Ghosts and Unicorns

The voice had come from the trees across the road. Everyone spun toward it. They had all recognized the voice – even Tony, though he could not remember exactly who it belonged to.

"Zoro!" Luffy cried. He tried to pick out the form of his ghostly first mate among the trees, but it was impossible; the trees and plants provided too much color and variation of shapes to find Zoro's insubstantial body in the fading light.

"What the hell!" Sanji yelled. "Give us a little warning, shithead!"

"Sorry about that, dartboard brow," Zoro said, and it was easy to hear the smirk in his voice. "I'll be sure to send a postcard ahead next time, just for you."

"Why you—" began Sanji, but Luffy cut him off.

"Zoro," the captain asked, "what do you mean? What's wrong with Chopper?"

"And come over here already!" Nami added. "Stop trying to be mysterious by hiding behind trees!"

There was a pause. "…Luffy?"

"Go ahead, Zoro," Luffy said. "Now's as good a time as any for them to see, I guess."

"Luffy, what—" Usopp's question died in his mouth as Luffy gestured at him to wait.

There was no sound of crunching undergrowth, no snapping twigs, yet Luffy knew Zoro was approaching. And sure enough, after a few more seconds he was able to make out a faint flicker of movement, the shape becoming more apparent as Zoro came closer.

In the dim light, it took the others some time to really see Zoro's condition, but as the swordsman left the cover of the trees and stepped out beside the driveway, Luffy heard gasps, followed by a shocked silence. Wanting to dispel the tension a little, he waved at his friend. "Oi, Zoro!" he called, grinning. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thought I'd see how you were doing," Zoro replied, crossing the road and stopping a few feet from the stunned crew. "Looks like you're almost finished. Not bad, Luffy."

Luffy laughed. "Yeah! Your earrings work really well!"

"…Zoro?" Nami whispered. Her face was pale, drained of color even under the last pink streaks of sunset.

Zoro flashed her a smirking grin. "Hey, Nami. Been a while."

"Oi, Marimo," Sanji said in a shaky voice. "What the hell _happened_ to you?"

From the stare he was giving the chef, it was clear Zoro considered the question idiotic. "What does it look like, dumbass cook?"

"…You're…y-you're a…" Usopp was stammering.

"A ghost," Robin said. "Interesting. I suspected it would be something like that."

"So you died as well, Zoro-san…" Brook's face was a bit pale, but after all, the crew had accepted him as a living skeleton; it would be poor repayment to let his fear of ghosts turn him away from the swordsman now.

"Yeah, guess I did."

"I don't understand," Franky said. "If you died, why wouldn't you come back like the rest of us? Why'd you get stuck like this?"

Luffy gave a soft chuckle. "Because it was his job to make sure we had a way back to our world. And he has."

"You mean…we could still go _back_?" Nami asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah," Luffy said, "if we want to. But we can decide that later."

Sanji stared. "This idiot's been sitting on the ship waiting the _entire time_? Even after he fucking _died_?"

Zoro glared at the blond. "I said I'd take care of Sunny and the portal. Why would I let a little thing like death stop me?"

"Little?" Usopp asked incredulously.

"Huh." Sanji lifted a hand to his cigarette to hide a faint smile. "Always knew you were a crazy bastard. Probably took you a few decades to even notice you weren't alive."

"Look, I died, but that doesn't mean I'm not—"

"Guys," Luffy said. "We can talk about that stuff later. We need to help Chopper – Tony – now."

They all turned to look at their youngest crewmate. Tony's eyes were like saucers. He had been shaking, staring at Zoro, but at the sound of his name he jumped and looked at Luffy.

"What did you mean by 'part of him is missing'?" Robin asked.

"When I look at him…" Zoro shrugged. "Stuff looks different to me now. Maybe spirits can see other people's spirits even if the people are alive, I don't know. But Chopper's is dimmer than any of yours, like you were each a cluster of lights and half of his went out. He's not all here, so he can't remember it all."

"But…why?" Usopp asked, confused. "Why would that happen to him? It didn't happen to any of us!"

"Perhaps," Robin said, "because unlike the rest of us, Chopper wasn't human."

"What do you mean, Robin?" Nami asked.

"Since I regained my memories, I've been wondering why Chopper was brought back as a human. He was a reindeer, so he should be reborn as a reindeer, don't you think? But the animals in this world are simply animals. Were Chopper to be born here as a deer, he would no longer have the human mind and emotions he acquired when he ate the devil fruit. By the same token, a human cannot possess the same qualities of a reindeer. For him to be reborn only as one or the other would be throwing away a part of who he is."

"So if this is the part of him that's human," Sanji said, frowning, "are you saying there's a reindeer Chopper running around somewhere, too?"

"It seems possible."

"There's…there's another me?" Tony whispered. The boy looked stunned and a little scared – but something about the gleam in his eyes suggested excitement, as well.

"Great," Franky said. "So we have to go track down a reindeer who could be anywhere in the world? Where are we supposed to start?"

 _Anywhere in the world?_ Luffy thought. _That can't be right. We wouldn't all end up on this island just to have to leave again to find Chopper. There's got to be something we're missing._ He frowned, staring into the trees. _A reindeer…_ And suddenly, Luffy understood. "Over there," he said, pointing in the direction of the forest.

"What? Why there?" Sanji asked. "There aren't any deer on this island, never mind that forest."

"Yes there are." Luffy grinned. "One, anyway."

Usopp drew in a sudden breath. "You don't mean…"

"The unicorn," Robin said. "Of course."

" _That's_ why the horn looked weird when I saw it two nights ago!" Luffy was excited now. "It wasn't a horn at all! It was antlers! Remember when we found those hoof prints, Tony? You said they looked like deer tracks."

Tony's mouth hung open. "You…you really think that was _me_?" he squeaked.

"Gotta be!" Usopp cried. "C'mon, let's go!"

* * *

They decided to start the search in the part of the forest nearer the mansion, as that was where Luffy had seen the deer before. The ride back to the house was even more crowded with Tony stuffed in the car with them. Franky had awkwardly offered Zoro a lift, but the ghost had taken one look at the overflowing vehicle and refused, saying he'd meet them in the forest. He then promptly disappeared, causing a minor freak out among several of the crew.

They drove across the grounds, parking right at the edge of the forest. Franky had some big flashlights stowed away in the car, and they took them along; even with the moon, it would be too dark to see much in the thick cover of the trees.

"Zoro," Luffy called as soon as they were inside the tree line. "Zoro!" Silence greeted him. "That's funny," he said. "It only took him a second to get where he wanted to go when he did it on Sunny."

"Is it possible to get lost while teleporting?" Usopp asked.

"Knowing that idiot, I'm sure he'd manage it somehow," Nami muttered. "Never mind, let's just go."

* * *

They headed into the forest together. It would, perhaps, have been more efficient to split into groups, but with their memories restored, they were now acutely aware of just how long they had been apart. Somehow, the idea of separating, even temporarily, never crossed their minds. No one was really sure whether they should be calling for the deer or keeping as quiet as possible to they didn't scare it away. Luffy settled on calling – the deer had led him to Zoro's box, after all, so it was clearly intelligent enough to know what was needed of it. _Well of course he is,_ he thought. _Chopper's smart._

Usopp wasn't happy at being in the forest after dark. He jumped at every snap of a twig, and screamed a few times when he ran into spider webs. After an hour, he began muttering suggestions about getting out of there and coming back the next day when it was light. Luffy was starting to feel a bit tired himself, but he refused to give up, not when they were this close. He kept his fatigue carefully hidden from Nami and the others, though he was happy enough to sit down on a fallen tree when Robin suggested a break.

"Damn it." Sanji huffed, flopping against a tree. "Where the hell is the thing? Can't you sense it or something?" he asked Tony.

The boy was huddled on the log between Luffy and Usopp, looking miserable. "No," he said. "I…I can't feel anything."

"Why does this shitty forest have to be so big?" the chef grumbled.

"Lost, cook?" a voice asked, right behind Sanji's ear.

Sanji shrieked and spun around, losing his footing and crashing onto the moist earth and plant matter of the forest floor.

"DAMN IT, THAT WASN'T FUNNY, you shitty marimo!" the cook yelled, scrambling to his feet as the trees echoed with Zoro's deep laugh.

Zoro's smirking face appeared from the tree Sanji had been leaning against as the ghost stepped through it to join them. "Looked pretty funny to me, Swirlybrow. Someone else seems to think so, too." He inclined his head toward Luffy, who had rolled right off the log and was now gasping to draw breath in between laughs.

"Sanji…" Luffy panted weakly. "Your face! You should have seen your face when he…" he dissolved into giggles again.

"Impressive scream too, I'd say." Zoro grinned at the red-faced chef.

"Shut up, you bastard!" Sanji growled, and launched a kick at Zoro. While the cook wasn't anywhere near his old skill level, he had spent a few years studying martial arts, and combined with the memories of his black-leg style, he could have done a decent amount of damage to an ordinary opponent. But Zoro simply stood there, not moving an inch. A moment later, Sanji discovered why, as his leg passed through Zoro's body and thudded painfully into the tree behind. "Wha—"

"Oh, sorry, were you trying to hit someone with that?" Zoro asked innocently.

"Damn it!" Sanji attempted to kick the swordsman several more times, each one just as ineffectual as the first. "That's not fair, shithead!"

"I'm a spirit. What fun would it be if it didn't come with a few perks?" Zoro yawned. "You done yet? We've still got a deer to find, don't we?"

Sanji opened his mouth for a retort but was cut off by Nami. "He's right, Sanji-kun. We need to find Chopper's other half and get out of here. Luffy shouldn't be out much longer, regardless of whatever Zoro did to help him." She looked suspiciously at the spirit. "What… _did_ you do? You're no doctor, Zoro."

"Not important now," Zoro said. "He'll be okay for a bit longer."

"But what if we don't find Chopper for a long time?" Usopp leaned back on the log, biting his lip. "This place is huge, he could be anywhere! He might not even be in the forest! He could have gone to another part of the island."

"I don't think so," Franky said. "He showed up on this island with no deer at the same time as the rest of us. He wouldn't run now that we're finally coming to get him."

"Try over there," Zoro said, pointing towards a deeper part of the forest.

"Why that way?" Nami asked.

"And why the hell should we trust the _marimo's_ sense of direction?" muttered Sanji.

Zoro heaved an impatient sigh. "I can feel something that way. And it doesn't feel like the regular forest animals. Could just be some hiker who got lost, but—" He shrugged. "Better than wandering around aimlessly."

"Like you do, you mean?" Sanji said acidly, but they started off in the direction Zoro had indicated.

They had been walking for about fifteen minutes when Luffy finally spotted something – several fresh hoofprints in the soft earth at the edge of a clearing. "Guys! Look at this!" he called excitedly. They all agreed that the tracks couldn't be more than a few minutes old.

"I...I can feel something," Tony said suddenly. "I...I think it's close, but I'm not sure where..."

Zoro disappeared again, popping back a few seconds later. "Saw him," he said, pointing to the left. "That way."

They hurried in the direction he had indicated. It didn't take long. Luffy burst into a large clearing and skidded to a halt, staring.

On the far side was the reindeer. He was slim and graceful, smaller even than Chopper's Walk Point had been when they first met him. His soft fur shone in the moonlight, and even at this distance, Luffy could see the blue nose.

There was a soft gasp from behind him, and Luffy turned to see that Tony had arrived. His eyes were locked on the deer as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist. A shiver ran up the boy's spine, and with a shuffling step, he began to move forward.

"Tony," Luffy caught the boy's shoulder. "Here." He pressed the earrings into his friend's hand.

Tony gave a vague nod and closed his hand around the gold, but hardly seemed to be aware of Luffy's presence. He resumed walking, and a moment later, the reindeer started moving as well. The rest of the crew took up positions at the edge of the clearing, and watched as boy and deer drew closer to each other.

They met in a pool of moonlight in the center, stopping by some invisible signal scant inches away from touching. Everything was still and silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, the boy lifted his hand, and the reindeer gently pushed his blue nose into the soft palm. Light began to grow from the spot where they touched, and within a minute it was too bright for Luffy and the others to look directly at it. They closed their eyes or turned their heads away, waiting.

After what seemed like hours, darkness returned with a suddenness that left them all blinking. Even in the moonlit clearing, the night seemed black as pitch after the brilliance of the light, and it took the crew some time to make out what had happened.

In the center of the clearing was a huddled shape, much smaller than either Tony or the deer had been. Cautiously, Luffy walked over to it. He saw the antlers, the hooves, the soft fur and blue nose. Luffy grinned down at Chopper's customary Brain Point form. The little doctor was limp but breathing steadily. "He's okay!" Luffy called to the others. "It worked!"

The earrings were lying in the grass next to Chopper. Luffy picked them up, turning to Zoro as the swordsman approached. "Here," he said, holding them out. "Sorry I had to borrow them. You can take them back now."

Zoro waved him off. "I don't want to have to carry those all the way back to the ship," he said. "You brought 'em out here, you can bring 'em back." He bent down to inspect the reindeer. "How's he looking?"

Nami was already kneeling beside Chopper, checking him over carefully. "I think he'll be fine," she said. "He'll probably be unconscious for a while, just like the rest of us were, but all his vitals are strong."

"Let's bring him with us and head back, then," Franky said. "I've had enough adventures in the forest for one night."

"I second that!" Usopp said immediately, raising his hand.

"Okay, let's go!" Luffy said. "And when we get back, food!"

"That is an excellent idea, Luffy-san!" Brook said.

"Yes, yes," said Sanji, rolling his eyes with a slight smile. "Dinner. Got it."

Zoro reached out and lifted Chopper, settling the reindeer against his shoulder.

"Will you be all right carrying him all the way, Zoro?" Robin asked. "I can't imagine it's easy for you to touch physical objects."

"I'll be fine," Zoro said gruffly, heading for the edge of the clearing. "Just come on already."

"Ah, Zoro-san – the mansion is this way," Brook said, indicating a direction a good ninety degrees to the right of where the swordsman had been heading. With a wordless grumble, Zoro corrected course, and the crew fell in around him to prevent any further repeats as they headed home, all together again at last.


	15. Family

"So…" Sanji said, leaning back against the Sunny's rail as he lit a fresh cigarette, "guess it's time to decide."

It was the next day, and the crew had been spending the morning getting reacquainted with their beloved ship. Franky had wanted to check on Sunny as soon as they got back from the forest, but Luffy's growling stomach had reminded him that there was no food on board, so they had reluctantly returned to the mansion for the night. Chopper had woken up midway through dinner. The little reindeer had spent the rest of the evening clinging to various people – mainly Zoro – sobbing about how glad he was that they were all together again and how sorry he was for not remembering right away. He had been especially upset by Zoro's current status, and it had taken a good hour of increasingly exasperated reassurance on the swordsman's part to calm him down.

Zoro had brought them to the Sunny after breakfast, and now they were settled around the deck, as ready as they could be to tackle the question of What To Do Next.

"Do we really have to decide now?" Usopp asked. "I mean, as long as Zoro's here the link isn't going to disappear, right? We could just think about it for a few weeks…"

"And would you like to explain to Chopper's grandmother why she now has a reindeer for a grandson?" Franky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But we have to tell her anyway. I-I think she'll understand," Chopper said softly. "Although she'd probably be annoyed that I couldn't reach as high on the shelves anymore."

Though Chopper had been reunited with his reindeer half, he, like Luffy, Robin, and Brook, no longer had devil fruit powers and was stuck permanently in Brain Point. The young doctor had been remarkably calm about this, saying that it was better than being stuck in full reindeer form – at least he could use his arms, though he was still adjusting to having hooves instead of hands again.

"We all have families to think about," Nami said. "I have a mom, and two sisters. If we went back, I'd probably never see them again. I don't know if I could handle that."

"My family and I do not talk much," Robin said. "Yet, I would still miss them if I were to leave."

"The same is true for me, Robin-san," Brook said.

"No parents or siblings here," Franky said. "It's just me and Usopp." The two glanced at each other, still a little unsure how to redefine their relationship now that they both remembered.

"I only have a brother," Sanji said. He gave a quiet snort of laughter. "And he'd probably think this was the coolest thing in the universe and that I'd be fucking crazy not to go."

"Then there's the physical side of things," Nami continued. "None of us have the kind of strength and skill we had before. We could probably get back to that level eventually, but until then we'd be in real danger in a place like the Grand Line – or even one of the four seas." She looked at Luffy. "Especially you. Luffy, your health…" she trailed off.

"I know," Luffy said. "But if we go back, I might be able to get better. _Really_ better." When they'd returned to the ship, Chopper had immediately run to examine what was left of the medical stock. None of it had really been in usable condition after such a long time, but Chopper had said that with fresh supplies from their world, he could make Luffy much stronger, perhaps even close to his old level of physical health.

"If we survive long enough for that to happen," Nami reminded him. "And we have to take time into account, too. It's been well over three hundred years. Nearly four, in fact. Who knows how things might have changed?"

"Good," Luffy said. "It'd be boring if we went back and everything was exactly the same." He then adopted a more solemn expression. "Listen, guys…I'm not going to decide this for you. You have to figure out what you want on your own. But don't choose one way or the other because you're worried about me."

"If some of us want to go back," Franky spoke up, "and some of us want to stay, what happens then?"

"We…we're going to stay together, right?" Chopper asked in a worried voice. "Whatever we do, we won't split up, right?" His lip trembled. "We _can't_ break up right after we found each other and finally got our memories back!"

"If we're meant to stay together, we will," Zoro said. The swordsman was leaning against the staircase, slightly apart from the others. "But even if we go our separate ways, we're still connected. That's why we were able to meet again after all this time."

"That's true," Robin said. "Family is still family, no matter how far apart you are."

"But…" Chopper hiccupped a sob. "But I want to be with all you guys! If only some of us went back, we'd never see each other again!"

"Which is why we've got to take our time and decide carefully," Sanji said.

"Nothing to decide for me," Zoro said. "Luffy is my captain. That hasn't changed. If Luffy goes back, I go too. If Luffy stays here while some of you take the ship back, I stay with Luffy."

"Is that even possible?" Usopp asked. "I mean…you and the portal are kind of tied together, right? Would it even work if you stayed here? And—" He broke off as an unpleasant thought occurred to him. "Zoro…if it did work, and the portal disappeared…would you be able to stick around here without it?"

"Even if we all returned," Robin said, "if Zoro's life force is tied to the portal, he may cease to exist once we left it behind."

"No!" Chopper cried, flinging himself onto the swordsman. "That can't happen! If Zoro would disappear if we went back, then I don't ever want to go!"

"Calm down, Chopper." Zoro said. "I'm not going anywhere I don't want to. That includes oblivion or the afterlife or whatever the hell comes after this."

"You…you promise?" the reindeer asked, sniffling.

"Yeah."

"You can't know that for sure, Zoro," Nami said. "Robin's right, without the portal…"

Zoro huffed an impatient sigh. "I _do_ know. The portal could've helped me stick around at the beginning, maybe, but it's not what's keeping me here now."

"Then what is?" the navigator asked.

" _I_ am." The swordsman rubbed his head exasperatedly. "Look, you're treating me like I'm some fragile wisp of something that's going to blow away if someone breathes too hard. I'm not that damn delicate; I haven't been for a long time. I stayed because I wanted to. Because I knew you'd all come back someday. And I'm not going to disappear, whatever we decide to do. It'd be stupid to leave now that you've all finally shown up."

"But how did you know we'd come back?" Usopp asked. "I mean, I know we promised, but…"

"…But after a certain amount of years, even a blockhead like you had to know we'd died," Sanji finished. "Most people don't come back after something like that! Why the hell would you keep waiting?"

Zoro gave the crew a smug grin. "'Cause I had proof."

"Proof?" Chopper's brow was furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah." The grin widened. "You think this is the first time you've lived since then?"

There was a moment of stunned silence. "What do you mean, Zoro-san?" Brook asked.

"I've seen you guys a few times over the years," Zoro said. "Not everyone – I figured this was the real thing once Luffy showed up, 'cause I'd never seen him or Chopper before – but most of you."

"You…you saw us?" Usopp whispered.

"Yeah. Actually, most of the people that ever saw 'the ghost ship' were from this crew."

"You gotta be kidding me." Franky said.

"…Sure, why not?" Sanji threw a hand up in resignation. "Two days ago I didn't believe in reincarnation at all. What difference does it make if it's two lives or twenty?"

Robin seemed to be considering something. "That would explain a few things …" She looked at the swordsman. "I suppose, then, that most of the written accounts of the ship were our doing? For example, there was a man over a hundred years ago who claimed you told him you were guarding the way for your king. Was he one of us as well?"

"Huh?" Zoro frowned in concentration for a moment, then his face cleared in recognition. "Oh, right, that." He hooked a thumb at Usopp. "That was him."

"Wha—" Usopp blinked in surprise. "Me?"

Luffy grinned at Zoro. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that! You really called me your king, Zoro?"

Zoro shrugged. "You were the pirate king, I was a pirate. It's true enough. Besides, Sunny and I were already a legend by then. I wanted to have some fun with it; it helped alleviate the boredom." He smirked. "It was especially entertaining whenever the love-cook showed up. There was this one time… He was on the beach, cooking for some huge party. I came up behind him, put on a spooky voice—"

"As fascinating as this is," Sanji cut in hastily, "we have other concerns at the moment. We can catch up on history after we've figured out whether to stay or go."

_But if some of us go and some of us stay,_ Luffy thought, _there might not_ be _an 'after' for all of us together._ The captain abruptly stood. "I'm going for a walk," he said. "Be ready to decide by tomorrow." And he left them to it.

* * *

Zoro found him in the woods a short while later.

"You're going back." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Luffy said. He had found a rock to sit on, and now he pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them. "I…don't think this world was meant for people like me. I like the other one better, even if it's more dangerous."

"What about your parents?"

"I…" There was a leaf in Luffy's hands, and his fingers absently twisted it as he thought. "I'm grateful for everything they've done. Because of them, I have this life. I was able to come here, and meet you all again. But…" He bowed his head. "I've never been what they needed, not really. We all knew that. Even…even if I wasn't sick, I don't think I could do what they wanted and take over their company someday." He smiled a little, a familiar gray-bearded face passing through his mind. "I've never been much good at following other people's dreams."

There was silence for a moment, and when Zoro spoke again, Luffy could hear the satisfied smirk in his voice. "It'll be good to see some real action again."

"Yeah." Luffy turned to face his first mate. "I'll be counting on you to protect me and Sunny until I get strong again, Zoro!"

"Of course I will."

Luffy stared into the trees, not focusing his sight on anything in particular. "I hope the others decide to come, too. I don't wanna leave anyone behind."

"I think it'll be harder for some of them to break their ties to this world than it will be for you, Luffy."

"I know that. That's why I can't choose for them. This way, they can be sure."

"You could give them a few more days to think, you know. That portal's not going anywhere."

"No," Luffy said. "We need to decide this. If we wait, we might find reasons to keep waiting. We might never decide. We might never go. So we'll make our choice now, and we'll stick with it."

Zoro nodded. "Then I hope they make the right choice."

* * *

They met on the shore of the bay the next morning. Luffy had refused to talk to anyone about the coming decision after they had returned to the mansion for the night, though he had happily chatted up a storm once they moved on to other, safer subjects.

They lined up facing the water, Luffy standing as tall as he could in front of them. He looked them over carefully. None of them gave any real clues as to what they had decided, though both Chopper and Usopp looked exceedingly nervous. He stayed silent, letting his gaze move from one to another, for more than a minute. Then he drew a breath and spoke.

"Are you guys ready to choose?"

They all nodded – some steadily, some trembling a bit, but their eyes were set. They knew what they wanted to do.

"Then tell me."

Robin was the first to step forward. "I will return," she said. "I came to this island in the first place because I felt there was something here that was important for me to discover. Now that I know the truth, how could I simply walk away?"

Luffy nodded, trying his best to keep his face expressionless.

Chopper hesitantly picked his way towards Luffy. "I…I want to go back, too. We had so much fun there…and in this world, people really would think I'm a monster, now that I'm like this again."

Luffy's lips twitched upwards as Chopper spoke, though he fought to keep them steady.

Usopp and Franky were next, stepping up at the same time. "We decided together," Usopp said, "and we're gonna come, too. I mean, you guys would get in way too much trouble without the great warrior Usopp along!"

"And there's no way I'd leave Sunny without a proper shipwright," Franky said, grinning. "It's been a long time since any of you have sailed anywhere; you'd probably wreck her in a week without me there to look after her."

Luffy bit down hard on his lip to stop himself from grinning.

Sanji ambled over to join the group. He tried to act casual, but Luffy could sense the pent-up excitement. "Well, guess I'm coming. I can't let you idiots set off without a cook. My sweet Robin-chan would starve."

Luffy's eyes gleamed, lips starting to stretch wider.

There was a long pause, and Luffy was starting to worry that the other two would refuse. Then, at almost the same time, Brook and Nami stepped forward.

"I confess I have enjoyed this world, Luffy-san," Brook said. "But it could never be home without my friends. If you are returning, I will gladly join you."

Nami had tears in her eyes, but she smiled at him. "I love my family here, Luffy. I love them just as much as the one I had before. And if I went back, I would miss them every day." Her voice broke a little on the last word. "But…but the thing is…all of you are my family, too. Either way, I'll have to say goodbye to someone…" Sniffling a little, she wiped her eyes and met Luffy's gaze. "I know you'd choose to go back even if we didn't, Luffy. In spite of how dangerous it'll be, I think you'll be happier, and if it really is possible to help you there…then we'll make sure it happens. Together."

Luffy gave her a solemn smile, acknowledging how much she was giving up; how much they all were. "Thanks, Nami," he said. And then he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He let out a joyful laugh, raising his arms to the sky. "Then we return! The Straw Hat Pirates…are officially re-formed!"

There was a chorus of ecstatic whoops and cheers, broken a moment later by the loud clearing of a ghostly throat. Everyone stopped and turned to look at Zoro.

The swordsman was unwrapping something from a bundle of cloth. "Well then," he said, grinning, "I think you'll need this… _captain_." And with a flick of his wrist, he sent the straw hat sailing through the air.

Luffy caught the hat and just looked at it for a moment. Then, grinning so widely it would have been possible to believe he was still made of rubber, he lifted his treasure and set it firmly on his head. Another round of cheers went up, and this time Zoro joined in as well. The decision was made, they were together, and it had really been far too long since the world – either of them – had seen a proper Straw Hat party.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

"You guys all set?" Luffy asked.

"Everyone's ready to go," Franky gave his captain the thumbs up. "Sunny's back in top condition and ready to sail on your order."

"Nami, everything look okay over there?" Luffy called across the deck.

Nami looked up from where she was examining the array. "Everything's fine, Luffy," she called back. Zoro had been set up in the same spot that he'd occupied for the initial trip. Nami had instructed him to stay put and keep himself tangible, just in case a solid body would make a difference to the process.

The time since their decision to return had passed in a haze of activity. Franky had thoroughly examined the Sunny and taken care of any maintenance that was needed – surprisingly little, considering how much time had passed. They had restocked the pantry and fridge, as well as the medical supplies, though Chopper planned to replace those with more advanced remedies once they returned. New clothes had been purchased, as well as a variety of souvenirs and other items that would be needed in the short term.

There was also the matter of saying goodbye to their families in this world. Most of them had left this for last, not wanting anyone to show up to stop them, try to change their minds, drag them to a mental hospital, or – in Sanji's brother's case – try to come along. Chopper, of course, couldn't hide his new appearance from his grandmother, but as he had predicted, she had taken the news fairly well after her initial shock, and the two spent as much time together as they could before the departure.

Luffy had thought carefully about what to do for himself. His parents were busy and important people, and likely as not would wave off any explanation he tried to make as another one of his stories they did not have time to listen to, however interesting it might be. If by some chance they did believe him, it was possible they would contact the island's authorities, or something just as bad, to prevent them from leaving. In the end, he had set up a short video call, trying his best to express his feelings and say goodbye without letting anything sensitive slip. Then, with Robin's help, he wrote the full story down in a letter, leaving one copy in his room at the mansion and mailing another to his parents. It would have to be enough.

Luffy looked around at his friends. "Okay then. Let's move out."

The Straw Hats sprang into action, and Sunny was soon on her way out of the bay. Luffy thought the ship was happy to be sailing with her crew again; the rocking motion of the waves felt like little skips of joy.

Zoro stopped them at a spot a short distance from the island. "Right here," he said. "It should open straight ahead of us." Nami nodded and began activating the array.

"What shall we do once we return, Luffy-san?" Brook asked. "I suppose we could sail the Grand Line again? We could try a different route, or travel our first path to see how things have changed in the time we've been gone. And there are other places we've not yet been to."

Luffy smiled, aware the others were listening intently for his response; this must have been something they'd been discussing among themselves for some time. "First…" He looked up, where the first flickers of a portal were beginning to appear in front of the ship. "First, we go on a devil fruit hunt. It wouldn't feel right, being back there without our powers."

Zoro smiled. "Thought so."

"Yohohoho, it will be a thrilling adventure, Luffy-san!"

"You do realize that it's possible those powers never returned to our world?" Nami asked. "And even if they did, they might not be available. Anyone can eat a devil fruit, after all. Someone could be using them right now."

"Stop being so negative, Nami," Franky called. "If they're out there, we'll find 'em for sure."

"They're there," Luffy said confidently. "And we'll get them back."

With a sudden snap, the portal fully materialized. As Sunny began to move toward it, Luffy stepped closer to Zoro, stopping just outside the glowing lines of the array.

"Hey…Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"You're really sure about this, right? You'll definitely still be there when we get back?"

"I promised, didn't I?"

"Yep. And you keep your promises, don't you?"

"Always, captain."

Luffy grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, this fic is finished. The story, not so much. *points to series link*
> 
> You have no idea how tempted I was to make Sanji's brother an actual character and have him come along, haha. But I only really came up with him at the end, and I think it would have felt too much like trying to shoehorn in an OC for the hell of it. Anyway, in my mind, he's one of those adorably geeky guys that gets way too excited about UFOs and haunted houses and things of that sort. The world of One Piece would be like a dream come true for him (at least at first. Whether he'd still feel that way after seeing how dangerous it can be...who knows?).
> 
> A note on the timeline - I've gone back and forth between 300 and 400 years a bit, so in case anyone's confused or curious about exactly how long it's been, here's how it goes, more or less: they left the OP world close to 400 years ago (let's say 385, because that's the number that keeps popping up in my head), the rest of the crew set off, Zoro waited, and maybe 75 or so years later, Zoro died. So he's been waiting for nearly 400 years, but has only been a ghost for a bit over 300. c:
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
